Angel in England
by Moonslippers
Summary: A young angel finds her way to the small village of St. Mary Mead to begin her first job ever: becoming the Guardian Angel to none other than Inspector Slack! Along the way she meets a curious old woman who gives her advice, a home and friendship during the happy and sad times that meet her.
1. Chapter 1

It was a beautiful day in St. Mary Mead: the most beautiful day she had ever seen. The village was alive with people bustling around with their morning business. Women were doing their shopping while men drove carts with shaggy horses clip-clopping contently over the paved roads. The young, beautiful blonde woman standing by the side of the wide road took in these sights with a smile, clutching her small handbag to her as if for dear life. The temperature was wonderful, allowing one to be completely at ease. Still, she found herself shaking ever so slightly in her light, burgundy dress, for today was incredibly symbolic and would determine the course of the rest of her life if it were allowed to go the way she hoped it would. She sorely hoped everything would work out for the best, however, after hearing a description of the man she was to be a guardian for, she began to highly doubt things would work out the way she prayed.

A woman bent with age across the street from the blonde found herself stopping in the middle of her errands to study this new face. She had never seen this woman before and seemed too beautiful to be of English stock. In fact, she looked positively Welsh, the old woman thought to herself, and did not seem accustomed to the way things were done in England by the state of her. Her long hair was completely undone, hanging down to her mid-back, the old woman guessed. The dress she wore was lovely but not made by any tailor she had ever encountered. The blonde turned her soft, leaf-green eyes to look at the old woman studying her, and managed to show her a smile. The old woman smiled back and decided in that instant to make this girl's acquaintance, for the woman knew everyone in this village and if this young girl was here to stay then she must get to know her. The blonde seemed astonished that this old woman was crossing the street toward her but she stayed still and kept a small smile on her face for reassurance that her company was not unwanted.

"Good morning, my dear. I could not help but notice that you are new to these parts," the woman said to the blonde, bowing her head slightly. The girl nodded and smiled.

"You are right, ma'am, I am new here. And I'm afraid I'm rather lost as well. I wonder if you could help me, miss-?"

"Ah, Marple, dear. Forgive me my rudeness. I shall try to be of service to you the best that I can," Miss Marple said, giving the blonde another smile.

"How do you do, Miss Marple. My name is Anya. I wonder if you know where an Inspector Slack lives? I really must find him."

"Oh? Inspector Slack?" A rather sly smile came to the old woman's face and she let out a chuckle. "Oh, I know him very well, my dear. He never mentioned to me that he knew such a beautiful young woman. How mysterious of him. Yes, yes, I know him well, though I'm afraid we are not entirely on the best of terms. I do believe he thinks me a nuisance as I am frequently at the sight of many of his cases and attempt to help him solve them. I do believe he thinks me rather nosy," she chuckled. The girl Anya smiled, liking this old woman from the start. She was rather an oddity from what she had seen and heard from other English women, and she was quite pleased with this change from the norm.

"Actually, it is rather an oddity, but he has never seen me before. Today will be our first meeting," Anya found herself admitting to the woman. Miss Marple seemed surprised.

"Is that so? Well, I can't imagine what prompted this sudden meeting, but it is none of my concern anyhow. Yes, I shall take you to the county police station. He may be out working a case but if he isn't, the station is the only other place we would find him other than his home, I expect, though I must admit I do not know where he lives. Well then come, dear, let us set out now."

"Oh, I am very thankful to you, Miss Marple. I do apologize for interrupting your morning errands." Miss Marple waved her apologies off, tut-tutting her for her worries.

"Nonsense, dear, this is intriguing business. I was not on a very important errand anyway. I must tell you that I will be very pleased to see the surprise on his face at seeing me again," she chuckled. "He is never quite pleased to see me, but we do get along in our own way. Yes, I shall be pleased, my dear, you have brought me great pleasure," she assured. Anya smiled and took Miss Marple's arm, allowing the woman to direct her toward the station.

As it was not the shortest of walks, Miss Marple looped her arm through Anya's and took the opportunity to begin telling her about the history of St. Mary Mead, everything from when the first store was built to when automobiles began clogging the streets more than carts and wagons and when the first pavement was put down on the dirt roads. Anya listened attentively, intrigued despite herself. She may as well learn about this place as she would be living with this new man Inspector Slack. Well, of course, if he would let her. If not, she would still be his guardian, but she would be in the background rather than the forefront.

Anya thought about her life up until this point as Miss Marple prattled on about the village. Anya was an angel, though not your typical one. She had wings, but not a halo like humans imagined in their folktales. No angel in Heaven had a halo but did have wings that were twice the size of their bodies to allow them to fly quickly and carry twice their own weight if needed. And they were not delicate creatures, flitting about as children as human versions sometimes put them, the forms they called "cupids".

No, angels were fierce warriors of the Father. An angel who could not fight was deemed just about worthless, and only just if they could manage to heal adequately. All angels could heal, of course, but there were those that possessed more skill in that field than others. Anya had no such skills in either department. She was not a skilled fighter, though she passed all of her defense classes and only just barely. She could heal, though needed real practice in the art as she was easily distracted and had not quite developed a good focus technique needed for the task. All in all, she was a rather lousy angel. Her kindness exceeded all others and she was well-liked despite her weaknesses.

Her mother was not at all happy to find out that her daughter was not even close to the angel she wanted her to be. So, to please her, Anya decided to take up the task of becoming a Guardian Angel, hoping it would increase her standing in her mother's eyes. Inspector Slack was chosen for her by the high Archangels, and so she had come to England and this small village to find him and inform him of his new Guardian. She could have been an invisible Guardian like many other angels are for their humans but she had decided that for her purposes, staying visible and being accepted by her human would bring greater pleasure to her mother, and so had decided to come down to the Earth in her human form, her wings remaining invisible to all who saw her.

Now everything came down to her trying to convince this Inspector Slack of her being his Guardian Angel. She did not know how she would go about trying to convince him of this fact but she would have to think of something for this to work. Her attention was diverted from her thoughts to Miss Marple as she realized that they had suddenly stopped and she had nearly pulled the poor woman from her feet.

"Forgive me, I am so sorry, Miss Marple! I was off in my own thoughts, I did not intend to nearly knock you over!"

"Now, now, it is fine, dear. I understand completely for I do that now and again myself. Now, here we are at the police station. Since you are back from your thoughts, shall we go in?" she asked, smiling sympathetically. She smiled back and nodded fervently. Miss Marple nodded once in acceptance and started up the short flight of stairs to the small white brick building in front of them, ablack placard announcing the building as the 'County Police'. The pair narrowly avoided bowling over a policewoman as she charged out of the front doors, apologizing profusely as she ran away from a shouting voice that sounded like a very angry man. That wouldn't be the man I am supposed to be a Guardian for, is it? Anya wondered briefly, inwardly cringing at the vehemence behind that voice. Miss Marple saw the small cringe on the girl's face and pitied her. The poor child did not know what she was getting herself into, did she?

They walked through the front doors into a madhouse. Police men and women were running to and fro whilst in the middle a tall man clad in a tight black suit with a high forehead and rather long, pointed nose shouted back and forth at them, ordering them to do this and that, call this person and that person, don't do this or that. Anya looked to Miss Marple and saw the old woman jerk her head in the direction of the shouting man, looking at her knowingly as Anya's eyes widened. The shouting man _was _her human! Dearest Father, how was she supposed to pull _this_ one off?

"Oh dear," she found herself saying. "He seems rather busy. Perhaps now is not a good time." Her voice quivered as she spoke and she couldn't help but feel like a complete coward in that instant. Her mother would be furious at seeing her in such a state! But what could she do? She was frightened of this man that she was supposed to protect! And she hadn't even met him yet! At this point in time she didn't even think he needed an angel. He could scare any attacker off by just glaring at him!

The terror in the girl's eyes made Miss Marple feel rather badly about bringing her here. Poor dear, she knew absolutely nothing about the Inspector, did she? What was she here for anyway? It couldn't be personal business, could it? Who would have personal business with this Inspector anyway? The man was completely manic in her mind, a strict man who made everyone around him stressed and unhappy.

Suddenly Miss Marple heard her name being called and looked up to see that the Inspector was now heading for them. The girl beside her stiffened and Miss Marple could see her hands shaking ever so slightly. "Good morning, Miss Marple. Why are you here?" The tall, dark man stopped in front of them, his eyes passing from the old woman to Anya, sizing her up quickly. His address was sharp and business-like. He seemed a man that had no time for laughter or fun things, Anya thought. Oh, why was he the one chosen for her?

"Good morning, Chief Inspector." Miss Marple, as usual, was not flustered by his brisk attitude, but seemed accepting of it as she had many times before heard and become used to it. "This girl here asked me to take her to you. Her name is Anya and she told me she wished to see you."

"Yes?" The Inspector's dark eyes shifted from Miss Marple to Anya and she suddenly found her deep green eyes captured by those dark irises as they seemed to probe her very soul. This man was not to be trifled with and obviously was not one to believe in such mythical-sounding things as angels. She found herself opening and closing her mouth like a fish gasping for air out of water, and quickly tried to pull herself together as she saw his bushy eyes brows draw down in obvious impatience.

"Ch-Chief Inspector Slack. May I speak with you privately, please?" she asked. It was better to talk with him alone without even Miss Marple around nor anyone else. He must be the only one to hear what she had to say to him.

He seemed to hesitate a fraction of a second before he nodded curtly and stepped aside, holding his arm out to direct her to a small room that she assumed was his office. She looked back at Miss Marple and thanked her quickly before moving off in front of the Inspector so as not to keep him waiting any longer. She entered the small room and waited for him to come in behind her and shut the door. He motioned for her to take a seat in the straight-backed, padded chair in front of his desk and she did so, noticing that the shaking of her hands had gotten more pronounced as the time got closer for her confession to this man. He sat down in the large chair behind the desk and rested his elbows on the surface, his piercing eyes pinning her to the chair as he watched her compose herself.

"What is this about, miss Anya? Do you have something to report?" She took a deep breath to compose herself, and began.

"I have something of that nature, yes, Chief Inspector. You see, this may be hard for you to believe, but I am an angel. I was sent to be your Guardian Angel, you see, and to stay with and protect you for as long as I am able." She stopped abruptly, seeing first surprise and then anger cross the Inspector's face as his eye brows drew sharply together.

"Do you take me for a fool, miss? Is this some sort of practical joke? An angel? I do not even know you and you are supposed to be this, what, Guardian Angel, you say? And I am supposed to let you, what, stand at my back like a bodyguard all the time while I go about my business? That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, and I have heard plenty. You may go, miss. I have no time for this nonsense." He stood quickly to open the door for her and she felt crushed for the first time in her life.

"Chief Inspector, please! I know this is difficult for you to believe but I cannot fail in this mission, I mustn't fail! Please, if there's anything I can do to prove to you-"

"I've heard enough, miss. Please, leave my office. I have actual work to do and _normal _people to interview. Good day to you, miss." He held the door open for her, staring her down as she opened her mouth for another plea. She snapped it shut as she saw the look of complete disbelief in his eyes. It was no good for the moment. He was not receptive to anything, and could not be reasoned with at this time, she knew. She would have to be persistent in having him accept her as his angel. This would not be the last meeting until she had thoroughly convinced him of her sincerity.

"Very well, Chief Inspector. Good day to you." She bowed her head to hide the sudden tears that had jumped to her eyes, and hurried from his office to the front doors. She lifted her head just in time to see Miss Marple stand up from the row of chairs off to the side, and worried why the old woman had stayed to see how she came out.

"My dear, what happened? You were only in there for a few minutes! What on Earth did you say to him to make him kick you out so soon?" Anya shook her head and apologized quickly to the old woman as she hurried out the front door and down the steps. She stopped once she reached the sidewalk and looked from left to right. Now what? she thought. She had nowhere to go, no money to buy food or lodgings for the night or however long it would take to convince the Inspector. She was overcome with a sudden feeling of helplessness and covered her face with her hands in an attempt to stop the tears from falling.

"Oh dear, why don't you come with me, you don't look so well." Miss Marple was at her elbow directing her to the left and to wherever she was taking her.

"Please, I thank you, Miss Marple, but I must go. I need to think about what I must do."

"This is not the last time you will approach him, is it?" Anya shook her head. Miss Marple sighed and continued to lead the girl down the sidewalk. "You will come to my house for tea, dear, and you will tell me everything, why you're here and why you must see the Chief Inspector."

"Oh, I couldn't possibly. It is supposed to be a private matter kept between he and I-"

"My dear, right now whatever you have to say to him is falling upon deaf ears. So why not speak to ears that are willing to listen, and to an old woman who may have some advice for you?" Anya couldn't help but smile and so she allowed the old woman to lead her back to her home. Should she tell this woman everything? Miss Marple was different from anyone else Anya had spoken to in England, and seemed genuinely willing to help her. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt for the old woman to listen to her tale.

Less than an hour later the two women were inside Miss Marple's quaint little house and being served tea by a sweet maid-in-training named Bessie. Anya began her story slowly at the encouragement of Miss Marple, and soon she was pouring her life story out to the old woman, finishing with why she was on Earth in the first place and why it was Chief Inspector Slack whom she needed so desperately to see. When she had finished the old woman sat there speechless, lost in thought, staring off into the small fire dancing beside her in the fireplace. After what seemed hours she turned back to the young, desperate girl sitting across from her, and smiled. For whatever reason, she believed completely in this young woman's wild angel tale. She certainly looked like Marple's vision of an angel.

"I think you have a very difficult journey ahead of you, my dear. Inspector Slack is not a man to believe in such things as angels as I'm sure you've learned already, so something must be done to convince him. But what? That is the problem, surely. Once he is convinced, I am sure he will accommodate you. In the meantime, you may stay here for as long as it takes."

"Oh, Miss Marple, I couldn't possibly-" She held up a wrinkled hand, silencing the girl swiftly.

"You will stay here and keep an old woman company while you figure out how to deal with your problems. And I shall help you with them, certainly. Now, more tea, dear?"


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Anya was out shopping with Miss Marple when she saw Chief Inspector Slack speeding by in a police car with a strange man sitting beside him. She stopped and stared as the car raced down the street, beeping at carts and other cars to get out of its way. Through the window she caught sight of the Inspector looking at her, probably attempting to figure out her mystery, or thinking how mad she was and perhaps wondering if he should have her sent to an institution. He was gone in the next instant, racing away to another crime scene somewhere, completely unaware that he was leaving his angel behind when she should be by him at all times for protection. She sighed and followed Miss Marple into the department store.

Marple turned her head to see Anya follow behind her after a fashion, looking worn and dejected. She placed a hand on the young woman's arm to reassure her. "Everything will work out fine in the end, my dear, you'll see." Anya looked at her and cracked a small smile.

"I just saw him come by in a car and stare at me most suspiciously, as if he thought he was looking at the world's biggest loony," she whispered, clasping her hands together. Miss Marple smiled.

"Perhaps he was admiring your dress, dear, and wondering why he had turned down so beautiful a woman, such that he will never see again in all his days. That dress suits you well, my dear." Anya smiled and glanced down at the dress Miss Marple had given her. It was an old dress that the woman had kept from her younger days, a lovely periwinkle blue one that was a bit old-fashioned for Anya's tastes, but nonetheless seemed to compliment her nicely as a whole. She certainly had been receiving quite the stares from a number of men she had seen that morning as the two women made their way around the town to complete a number of errands. Miss Marple had wrapped her hair into a loose bun on the top of her head, having been rather surprised at the state of her long hair hanging loose yesterday the first time they met.

"The country may be changing, Anya, but some things are still the same regarding a woman's attire. I have seen more and more women growing out their hair and leaving it loose, but I still like the idea of keeping one's hair back," she had said. Anya had let her do what she would with her hair, wrapping it into the bun and then making two thin braids to wrap around her head, giving her a rather distinguished look as if her station in life were higher than it was. She had thought to argue, but Marple had been insistent on what she wished her hair to look like. "There is no cause for an angel to look like a beggar woman," she had said, swiftly quelling any opposition from Anya.

They were not five minutes within the small store when the old woman let out a small cry of "Oh!" and turned swiftly, nearly knocking Anya from her feet. "What is it, Miss Marple?" she asked, grabbing the woman beneath her arms to keep her on her feet.

"Oh forgive me, dear, but I just had a thought on what you should do. Yes, that would do nicely. Here, give me that basket," she said, taking the small wicker basket full of bread and cakes from Anya's arm and placing it over her own. "Now, Anya, you shall follow the Inspector, and from now on whenever he goes on a case, especially a potentially dangerous one. You need to be by him in case sudden dangers overtake him, yes? Then you must be on hand if something happens, and by being there and showing him what you can do, you will be sure to convince him of your sincerity in being what you have told him you are. Now, by flying you should be able to overtake his automobile quickly, yes? Is there something you can do to prevent anyone from seeing you as you fly?" Anya nodded.

"Yes, I do have the power to shield myself from most humans. But I will not be shielded from anyone who believes in angels. If they should look up, they would see a woman flying over them without any means of flight as my wings cannot be seen by any human eyes." She smiled slightly as she wondered what the possible expressions on the faces of such people would be. Oh it would frighten them, no doubt, but she rather thought their looks of astonishment would make her laugh forever. Miss Marple nodded in her business-like manner and shooed the angel off, neatly shoving her out of the small store.

"Once you are finished, come back to the house and relate to me all that has happened. Promise me you shall do this, Anya," she called after her and the angel waved back, reassuring her that she would do just as the old woman asked. Marple smiled and headed back into the store, a small spring in her step as she began her long wait to see how this plan of hers would work out. She hoped the poor dear would succeed in convincing the stern Inspector of her sincerity. It would not take two or three times, but very likely more than she would like to count for him to accept the poor angel into his life.

As Marple was thinking how long it would take her to convince the Inspector, Anya was ducking behind a building to shift into a sort of iridescent form only those who believed in the thought of angels could see. To those people she would appear as a shimmering, translucent woman soaring above them without any obvious contraption to allow her to fly. She smiled once more as she thought of the faces of those few people and let her large wings spread out to either side, stretching them out from their long-time folded position. She flapped a few times, testing the wind, and looked around self-consciously to see that no eyes were on her before she bent her knees slightly and thrust down hard with her wings, launching herself effectively into the air. The wind immediately tousled her hair and she felt the bun coming loose. Soon she was too lost in the feeling of flying again that she ignored the loosening bun and allowed herself a brief spell of blissful ignorance of everything around her as she flew slowly through the skies, soaring high above the few trees dotting the sides of the now-tiny village of St. Mary Mead beneath her.

The honking of a horn suddenly caught her attention and she peered down in the direction of the sound, folding her wings and plummeting to the earth in an effort to see clearly who it was beeping. It did not take long for her to see what the source of the sound was. Inspector Slack's car was caught behind a slow-moving tractor pulling a wagon piled high with hay from the field it had just left. Anya banked to the right to come above the car the Inspector was in and stayed above it as the driver whipped around the tractor at the first chance he had before speeding off to the sight of the crime scene. It was almost dull flying so slowly above the car to keep up with it but Anya stuck to the car as if she were tethered there by an invisible rope, dutifully staying as close as possible.

The car and the angel stayed on the same road for some time before a sign announcing the upcoming driveway of a Fox Hall had the driver turning to the left down a gravel drive that led down for roughly a few hundred yards before they rounded a corner, displaying one of the most beautiful homes Anya had ever seen before. There were already two police cars there before them with four officers standing to the side awaiting their Chief Inspector.

Anya halted in the air, allowing the car to continue on without her toward the other two while she began scoping out the Hall. A rather frazzled-looking woman appeared just as the Inspector was getting out of the car, and ran straight up to him squealing and crying about her dead husband found in the library and who had done this terrible thing to him? Who would want to kill her quiet, well-mannered husband? He had no enemies, no! No one she knew of would want to hurt him, so why was he lying in a puddle of his own blood? Oh please, Inspector, could he help her, please?

"Rest assured, ma'am, that we are going to do everything we can to find out what happened to your husband," he recited boredly, brushing past the wailing woman with disinterest, his eyes poised ahead on the crime scene that lay inside the grand building. Anya, retaining her translucent form, flew slowly toward the police cars as the men began to file in to have a look at their crime scene, hovering just a few inches above the ground so her dress would not drag across the still-dewy grass. The woman followed in after the men quickly but Anya slowed her pace as she noticed that the man who had sat beside the Inspector had stayed behind to get a suitcase from the back of the car. She halted her progress just feet from him and waited til he had retrieved the trunk and closed the back of the car up before she followed slowly after him up the stairs of the gigantic stone house.

As soon as he reached the top of the stairs he turned to close the door and stopped, staring directly at her as she followed just inches behind. Their eyes locked and his widened after a moment as he realized what he must be seeing was a ghost. Before he could retain a good image in his head Anya sped away toward the top of the house, making the man gasp and race down the stairs once more to follow her with his eyes, but in the next instant she was gone and not to be seen anymore. As the man frantically searched for the woman ghost that had followed him, Anya sat on the roof shaking slightly, her heart beating frantically at the prospect of having been found out already by one of the Inspector's men. She doubted he would relate this story to the Inspector, knowing his nature, but she could not help but believe that this chance meeting would be cause for trouble later on.

She listened attentively to hear the man return to the inside of the house, closing the front doors after him as he hurried to the Inspector. She sighed, feeling her heart finally slow its rampant beating, and allowed herself to fall slowly through the roof of the house into the dusty attic and through the floor of that small, cramped room into a thankfully empty bedroom beneath that. She hurried to the door and put her ear up to it, listening to hear the tell-tale shouting of her human well beneath her, at least two more floors. She stepped through the door, looking both ways before heading toward where she thought the stairs were. She fluttered quickly down the stairs, seeing a few servants running to and fro while a shrieking housekeeper followed them shaking her fists, shouting for them to get their heads out of the clouds and get refreshments ready for the policemen and the masters and mistresses that were still in the house. From what Anya could gather, the mistress, with her three children and one visiting niece, were downstairs in the sitting room waiting for their turns for questioning by the Chief Inspector.

A sudden thought came to Anya's head, exciting her. Perhaps she could use her own abilities to determine who was telling the truth and, in effect, who was lying in order to aid the Inspector with his investigation. She would have to be cunning and speak to the Inspector when he was alone and try to convince him to let her show him the extent of her abilities. She knew for sure that if he saw what she could do, he would have no qualms about allowing her to help him and perhaps it would be the start of her new life as his angel.

She hurried after the servants, allowing them to lead her straight to the second set of stairs that would take her down to the main floor. Officers were walking back and forth from the room that she assumed held the dead man while the servants rushed into the sitting room with trays full of tea and cakes to satisfy the family waiting within. She hurried past the sitting room to where she heard a sudden distinctive shout coming from, and peered through the door that stood slightly ajar in front of her, finding the Inspector with ease speaking with one of the family members, his trusty angel-seer beside him writing notes as the Inspector interrogated the young man. As the brunette detective looked up Anya quickly pulled her head back from the crack in the door, thinking about what she must do now. She would have to wait til the Inspector sent the man back to get another of his family members for interrogation, but also for the other policeman to leave the room as well. This was certainly a dilemma.

Footsteps sounded behind her suddenly and she nearly jumped out of her skin as an officer stepped through her and knocked on the door, waiting for the Inspector's attention before he eased it open. "Sir, it seems that something in the room has been touched. The evidence suggests that the man was typing something but we cannot find any paper with typing on it anywhere," the man reported. Inspector Slack growled and glared at the trembling young man seated before him.

"Was there someone else in the room beside your mother and sisters? Did any one of you touch a paper that was in the typewriter?" The young man shook his head quickly, clearly frightened of the Inspector.

"N-No, sir, nothing was touched except for Father. Mother ran to him screeching and hugged his body and nearly dragged him out of his chair had we not stopped her in time! I didn't take any paper from the typewriter and I don't think either of my sisters did either. My cousin Fannie wouldn't want anything to do with a paper he was typing up either, I think. I just don't know, Inspector." Slack nodded and then shook his head in exasperation, his eye brows drawn down together into a permanent frown line.

"Lake!" he suddenly bellowed, making the brunette officer jump and look at the Inspector. "Go see what you can make of this missing evidence and make sure there was supposed to be a piece of paper there. Question every officer that has been in the room and every servant as well. And you, go get your cousin and tell her I must ask her some questions."

A break! Luck at last! Anya couldn't believe her good fortune! She nearly lost her head when she realized that Lake, the man that could see her, was now heading straight for her to come out the door! Hurriedly she jumped into the air, hovering above the entrance as the two officers and the young man raced out to do their bidding. Now was her chance! As soon as the young man shut the door behind him, she flew straight through the polished wood into the room beyond, halting in front of the door so she could lock it. The sharp click of the lock sounded loud in the small office room and made Slack spin around from where he was leaning on the back of the interrogation chair.

"Who's there?" he asked, puzzled, looking straight at her and seeing nothing but the door. She materialized in front of him then, startling a jump from him. He began to reach for a gun in his pant pocket when he halted as he recognized her. "You're-?" he stopped, looking at her strangely. She smiled disarmingly, thinking then of what her attire must look like to him.

"Forgive me, Inspector, but after my cold reception yesterday I decided I must try another way to prove to you that I am what I say I am. I am your Guardian Angel Anya, sent from Heaven to be your protector, your bodyguard, if you will, until the end of your days. Ah yes, and please forgive my attire, I must look a shambles after my flight. I followed you in your car and stayed just above you the whole time." She reached up to take down her hair, allowing her waves of soft gold to tumble down to the middle of her back. "I hope that now you at least have begun to believe what I tell you. However, I am offering to give you still further proof should you need it . Keep me in the room with you while you interrogate the family and I shall be able to tell you if they are speaking the truth or not."

Throughout her whole speech the Inspector had been strangely quiet, but as soon as she finished speaking he seemed to fly off the handle into a rage. "You dare come in here and tell me how to do my job and who I should have in here with me while I am interrogating people to find out who committed this murder? I do not approve of your actions, barging into my crime scene and telling me how I should do things-!"

"Inspector!" The sharpness in her voice cut him short, and he stared at her in mute rage, surprised at being interrupted so despite himself. She could see his hands shaking, he was so angry. She took a deep breath, surprising herself with her own outburst, but she was desperate for his acceptance at this point and had no time for his raging. "Please, Inspector, I am not here to tell you how to do anything. I simply wish to prove to you that I am who and what I say I am. I am asking you to give me a chance and to open your mind to the possibility that there are things out there that you don't believe in that are around nevertheless. I am not going away. It is my mission to be your guardian, Inspector, so it is better for you to accept this fact now rather than allowing me to continue in my pestering. So, Inspector, what do you say?" She placed her hands on her hips, keeping his dark eyes caught in hers, not allowing him to look away.

"Chief Inspector!" A knocking came at the door and someone attempted to turn the handle only to find the door locked. "Inspector, we heard shouting! Are you all right? Why is the door locked? Sir? Sir!"

"Quiet out there, I'm fine!" Slack barked, silencing the man outside. His eyes found Anya's again, pinning her to the door. "Do as you like, miss. You may stay while I interrogate, but I don't want a single word from you, do you understand?" he snapped. She smiled graciously and bowed.

"Of course, Inspector. I am happy to oblige you." She turned the lock in the door and stepped back as the man outside showed himself, revealing the brunette called Lake. He found Anya standing by the door and turned a questioning look from her to the Inspector.

"Who is this woman, sir?" Lake looked again back at the woman before him and something about her appearance rang a bell in his head, but he could not think where he had seen her before. Slack opened his mouth to respond when Anya interrupted quickly upon seeing the wheels beginning to turn in Lake's head, smiling disarmingly at the sargeant.

"My name is Anya, sir. I am a psychiatrist from London, here for a study that involves the science of psychiatry with the art of interrogation," she lied smoothly, extending her hand to the astounded man. Lake took her hand slowly, looking back at the Inspector like a puppy with its tail between its legs, wondering why he would let such a woman into his crime scene and, better yet, why he would let her interrupt him like that without a sharp retort. But the Inspector stood gravely still, glaring at this stunning blonde with the soft, deep green eyes that reminded one of a forest on a bright spring day. What could she hope to gain by performing these little tricks for him? Was this some strange ways of hers to let him know that she fancied him? But he didn't know this woman! And she obviously did not know him if she thought he would believe in such poppycock as angels coming to the Earth to be guardians for human beings. Who ever heard of such a thing?

Slack noticed that Lake still looked unsure, and so nodded absently in his direction. "Everything's fine, Lake, she is cleared to be here throughout my interrogations. And speaking of that, where is that woman I sent that man to find? That Fannie, what's-her-name?"

"Gates, sir." A young brunette woman stepped into the room behind Lake, astonishing him into moving to the side quickly for her to enter the small office. "Forgive me for being late, my aunt is very much weakened and disheartened by this morning's events that I was loath to leave her side, sir, but she urged me to come anyway."

"Very well, ma'am. Take a seat, please. And you, miss, you take this chair. Lake, find another chair for yourself and be quick about it." Lake nodded quickly and hurried to find another chair from the sitting room, rushing back just as Anya was sitting in the chair he had recently vacated.

"Forgive me for claiming your seat, sir," she apologized as he sat down with his notepad. He smiled and shook his head.

"No matter, ma'am, it's all right. I'm ready whenever you are, sir."

"Right." Slack glanced once at Anya and, upon seeing her slight nod of approval and her irritatingly-gleeful smile, he began his questions to the woman, repeating everything he had asked her cousin before and adding others about this new-found missing evidence of the paper that should have been in her uncle's typewriter. Anya was soon focused entirely on the woman, hanging on her every word, allowing her senses to give her any subtle hint it could as to whether or not the woman was lying. She watched for physical signs such as facial expressions, using the knowledge that her mother had taught her to pick up on any hints of lies. As the questioning came to a close, Anya was forced to come to the conclusion that the young cousin Fannie was not lying about her answers. When Slack looked at her with both eye brows raised, she slowly shook her head, whereupon he sighed heavily and sent the woman back into the sitting room for one of the sisters.

One by one the rest of the family members entered the room, and one after another Anya kept shaking her head slowly toward Slack to let him know that, unfortunately, no one was lying so far during the questioning. It was only during the interrogation of the last family member, the mother, that made Anya suddenly suspicious. During Slack's questions pertaining to where the woman was, the mother kept insisting that she was nowhere near her husband in the library but that, instead, she was out in the garden pulling a few weeds before she went inside to change out of her muddy clothes. The woman suddenly started wailing something fierce and Lake was forced to call a servant to get her some water, and he and the servant helped the woman from the room to calm her before anymore questioning could be done. Slack sighed heavily and slapped at the back of the chair the woman had just vacated.

"Well?" he bellowed, making Anya jump in her chair as he suddenly advanced upon her, slamming both hands down on the arms of her chair as he leaned over, bringing his eyes down to the level of her own. "We've been through everyone in the family now. Have any of them been lying to me, or are you going to tell me that you cannot tell and beg me to give you another chance?" he snapped, his eyes wild. Anya was quite taken aback by his sudden advancement but quickly composed herself once more and managed to give him a small smile, catching him off guard.

"I have wonderful news for you, Inspector. The mother was lying about her whereabouts. She was not in the garden and she was certainly not far from her husband's library," she said calmly. He harrumphed and slowly straightened, a sudden smile curling his lips.

"Is that right? Well, if you are right, I will be forced to take what you told me earlier into consideration. I shall know just how to entice her to answer me truthfully. Stay in the room and stop me at any time that you catch her lying." She nodded, too ecstatic to attempt to answer him verbally. "Lake! Is she ready yet?" he shouted out the open door, and quickly got everyone back into the room to continue with the interrogation.

He questioned the woman up and down, left and right, trying to catch her in a lie using careful words to confuse her. She was a cunning and dangerous woman, Anya knew now for sure. A few times she was caught in a lie and when Slack looked to her for conformation, Anya would give one curt nod and elicit a half-smile from him in return for her services. These rewards she greatly enjoyed. Her progress today would be great by many standards and she already could not wait to get back to Miss Marple's house and tell her everything that had happened.

Slack whittled the woman down to nothing but bare nerves and in no time at all had a full confession from her, at the great distress of her children and niece, and was hauled off to jail while the body of her poor husband was wrapped up and sent to the funeral home for the proper arrangements. Anya stayed behind with the family members, calming the daughters and niece as best she could in their state of great distress. They had lost both parents in one dreadful day and she was attempting to console the poor souls. She sat with them, cried with them, held them and told them that their father would forever be watching them from Heaven and that he was proud of them and did not want them to waste their tears on him.

"He would wish you all to live fulfilling lives taking into account everything that he has ever taught you," she said, obtaining instant friends in the whole family. After assuring that she would stop by with Miss Marple that Saturday to take tea with them, she hastened from the sitting room and the beautiful house to begin her journey back to Miss Marple's small cottage.

She hurried out the front doors, thanking the servant who held the door for her, and wrapped her arms around her chest as a sudden gust of wind threatened to tear the dress off her very body.

"Miss Anya!"

She started, pulling strands of hair from her face as she turned to see none other than Inspector Slack trotting up to her and removing his jacket! He halted by her and slung his black jacket around her. "You didn't bring a coat of your own, miss. Didn't you know it would get cooler as the sun set?"

"Really, Inspector, you must not worry. I am fine, but I thank you anyway. And no, I did not realize this. That is, I have not been in these parts for very long," she said, lifting her eyes to his. He harrumphed and ushered her to the car waiting for him.

"Still on that angel thing again? I suppose I am inclined to thank you for earlier. You helped in a very tough investigation, and with just the talent of knowing who was lying and who wasn't. I must admit I am in your debt, Miss Anya," he grumbled, opening the car door for her. "The least I can do is give you a lift back to where you are staying." She decided not to comment on his lack of acknowledgment, but instead thanked him most profusely for the lift from the house and stepped into the car. He hurried to the other side and jumped in beside her, Lake having taken the passenger seat in the front. He smiled at her as the Inspector got in and she smiled back with gaiety. She liked Lake very much and was very pleased that he did not recognize her as the 'ghost' he had seen earlier that day.

"Now, Miss Anya, where are we taking you?" Slack asked as he situated himself beside her, making sure not to bump her at all in the process. She smiled, remembering the old woman's words about Inspector Slack when they had first met.

"I am staying with a friend for now, Inspector, and from what she tells me, the both of you are very much acquainted," she began slyly. He glanced at her, cocking an inquiring eye brow.

"Oh?" Anya found herself giggling.

"Yes, sir. Her name is Miss Marple." She saw the color slowly filter from his neck to his face as he struggled with his feelings about this newfound information and Anya found herself nearly bursting with laughter. He looked up and seemed even angrier at Anya attempting to control her laughter toward him. "Forgive me, sir, but I don't know the whole of the relationship between you two and so I cannot adequately judge it for myself. I've only heard some of what she has told me about the encounters she has had with you in the past during a few cases of yours."

"Ah, yes, I'm sure she gloats all day about how she is cleverer than I am," he hissed, propping his chin on his hand as he stared out the window of the car. Anya suddenly felt sorry for this man and her laughter died within her in the same instant. He had a bit more pride than he needed, yes, but she was sure that he had worked very hard to get to where he was now and was clearly hurt that an old woman like Miss Marple could step in and be more clever than he ever could in his own field.

"Inspector," she started gently, soothingly, turning his attention back toward her. "Miss Marple is a wonderful woman who just happens to be cleverer than your average Englishwoman. She has no undeserved pride and does not gloat about her accomplishments to me. She merely related to me why there was a rift between the two of you in the case I ever witnessed you together and perhaps noticed you behaving in a cold manner toward her," she assured. He relaxed visibly and seemed for a minute like he wanted to say something but then refrained, nodding to her once before turning back to the window that suddenly seemed to be so important to him once more.

All too soon they were in front of Miss Marple's cottage and Anya dutifully kept her seat as the Inspector got out and hurried to her side to open the door for her. Really, she could open it herself, she knew, but kept her thoughts to her self as she let Slack perform the necessaries she was sure was a part of the English customs she would soon have to become used to. It was no good arguing at this point anyway.

The door to the house suddenly opened and Miss Marple herself emerged with an extra coat draped over her arm, hurrying out into the front yard as she saw Anya handing Inspector Slack's coat back to him. "My dear child, I completely forgot to remind you about the cold nights we would be having now. Here, take this. There now, is that better? Very good. Chief Inspector, I really must thank you for driving her back here for me, it is really too kind of you." Slack bowed his head stiffly to the old woman, accepting her thanks with a cool demeanor. She turned then and made her way back to the house, not waiting for Anya.

Anya turned to the Inspector as he slung his jacket back over himself, pulling it snugly around his bony shoulders. He looked back at her as she stepped toward him and viewed her outstretched hand with what looked almost like fear as she attempted to keep him in good spirits. "Thank you very much for today, Inspector. I quite enjoyed myself despite the fact that a man was murdered. I do hope we can do this again sometime?" she asked. He slowly accepted her hand, shaking it twice before letting go promptly as if it were on fire. He cleared his throat and regarded her solemnly and with much curiosity. She really was not letting go of this fantasy, was she?

"Perhaps we can do this another time, yes. I'm sure there will be cases where your, er, expertise will come in handy," he said, slowly moving off to his side of the car.

"Do be careful if you go on another case without me," she said, and it shocked him to see genuine concern in her eyes, something he had not witnessed from anyone in all his years as a policeman. This woman was dangerous! he reasoned. She always caught him off guard when he least expected it! He shifted his feet, embarrassed, and opened the car door swiftly.

"I will be careful. Good night, Miss Anya," he mumbled, just loud enough for her ears before getting in and shutting the door, snapping at the driver to drive on quickly. She caught his eye for an instant before they sped away again, and she couldn't help but smile at all the progress that had been made in that one short day.

A sudden gust of wind made her turn and hurry to the door, swiftly entering and giving the coat to Bessie who suddenly appeared as she moved to take her shoes off and went from there into the small sitting room where Miss Marple was waiting with two steaming cups of cocoa, her eyes bright with impatience. Anya sat down across from her and stirred her cocoa before putting some milke in it, slowing her actions to a painful march as she saw the old woman begin to fret across from her. When she sat back with her finished drink with a smile, the woman tisked her, demanding right then to know exactly what she had been doing all day and why she was back so late! Anya laughed at her enthusiasm and summoned Bessie for some food first, realizing just then she had had little to eat whilst she had been at Fox Hall. As soon as the food arrived, she began her story, starting with the point of her flight from the small alleyway beside the store Miss Marple had been in.

It took Anya the better part of two hours to finish her story, in which she was interrupted at times by the 'ohs!' and 'wonderfuls!' of Miss Marple. Once she had finished, her cocoa was cold and Miss Marple ordered more made up for her. "My dear, you do look tired. You have done so well today that you deserve a long rest after you drink this last cup. You'll feel much better after you do so, trust me. Now, what will you do tomorrow? Do you think he will summon you to accompany him on another case?" Anya shook her head.

"I don't know. He may believe me the meddlesome type as he believes you, Miss Marple. He did approve of what I did today and was glad of my help, but it still seems as if he is hesitating with something. He still does not believe everything about me despite the evidence I have shown him. I must do more yet I know not what it is that is required." She sighed heavily, accepting the new cup of cocoa from the maid.

"I believe he will invite you back, if nothing else than to look at you. I saw the way he watched you before he drove off. I know the look a man gets when his heart has begun to be swayed by a woman." It was Anya's turn to scoff.

"Come now, Miss Marple. We've only just met! Surely such things here are not so quick as that, are they?" Marple laughed outloud.

"Of course they are, my dear! Some marriages are even still based on nothing but promises between mothers of two different families! Surely you know something of the marriage state from your own mother?" Anya shook her head.

"Not of the marriage state on Earth, I'm afraid. I learned much about England and Earth before I came but I'm afraid I should have taken the time to study more of it. I was eager to begin my role as a Guardian that I simply did not take the time to study all I could of the world I would soon be inhabiting." Miss Marple tisked her good-naturedly, placing her empty cup beside her.

"You must be tired, dear. If you're finished with your drink you may go on up to bed now." Anya smiled and took one last sip of her cocoa, enjoying the warmth it filtered through her.

"Thank you, Miss Marple. I think I shall go directly." She stood, placing her own cup on the table. "Goodnight, ma'am," she said with a small curtsy. The old woman smiled at her.

"Yes, dear, goodnight. Anya, dear?" The angel halted in a half turn and turned back, cocking a curious eye brow.

"Yes?"

"I have just been thinking, and having you address me so formally is no longer needed. So from now on I would like you to call me Aunt Jane. Everyone who is close to me does, and it would make me feel less like an old woman if you began addressing me the same." Anya was astonished.

"Oh, but I couldn't, Miss-er-Aunt Jane. Do you really think we are that close?" she enquired innocently. The old woman inclined her head with a smile.

"Why of course, dear. You are living in my home, and I fully understand and believe the situation you have presented me, so I believe we are two of the closest people in the entire world at the moment," she said with certainty, struggling to her feet. Anya ushered to help her quickly and the two of them laughed and headed off to bed. As Anya lay in her bed just a few minutes later, she could not believe that such good fortune had fallen upon her. How had such a thing happened without divine intervention? She looked toward her ceiling and felt a small smile tug at her lips. Perhaps she had gotten a little help after all.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning Anya nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the telephone in Aunt Jane's front hall suddenly start ringing. The maid hurried to answer it, and Anya found herself stopping what she was doing, straining to hear what was being said beyond the dining room's door. The maid's tiny footsteps were soon heard scurrying toward the door before she revealed herself to the two women, breathless even from that small sprint. "Miss Anya, there's a man on the phone for you. He hasn't given his name, just said you'd know who it was. He says he must speak with you urgently, miss," the girl said, curtsying slightly when she saw the curt nod Anya gave her.

"Thank you, Bessie. I shall take it right now." Her eyes flicked up to find Aunt Jane's knowing grey ones lit up with glee. She ushered the angel out to the phone and Anya nearly sprinted for the door and the phone beyond. She grabbed the receiver more forcefully than she imagined and suddenly stopped, closing her eyes and composing herself with a deep breath for an instant before bringing the receiver slowly to her face.

"Inspector Slack?" she asked into the phone. She suddenly realized she was clutching the phone with a death grip and forced herself to relax as she heard his voice on the other side.

"Yes, Miss Anya. You said last night that you might want to accompany me on another case should I need it."

"Yes, sir. I will gladly if you have need of me." He cleared his throat rather loudly, clearly uncomfortable with this practice of asking for help.

"Very well. Could you meet me at Willow House in a quarter of an hour? We've just had a call about a double murder that has taken place, and there is speculation that there could be a third. It is a rather large house and there are many suspects for me to question." Anya's smile faded despite her good fortune. She was suddenly ashamed of her gaiety on this subject. Why should she be happy that the only way she could prove herself to Inspector Slack was to help him question suspects in a murder case? Her thoughts and attitude sobered immediately with this thought and she felt a twinge of pride for herself.

"Oh, dear. I shall be there, Inspector, and will help in any way I can," she assured. She could almost see his curt nod on the other side of the phone.

"Good. Oh, and we may be staying late depending on how well everything goes, so for Heaven's sake bring a coat and gloves with you so you do not freeze!" The phone clicked in her ear, and she pulled back and stared at it, bewildered. Well, that was rather a strange ending. Was that Slack expressing an amount of concern for her? Most certainly not, she mused. The man only met her two days ago. Surely she had mistaken that, she reasoned, but she was glad anyhow that he had summoned her for help. She turned when she heard the old woman come out into the hall with a knowing smile on her face. Anya found herself laughing out loud.

"Oh, Aunt Jane, wait til you hear!"

This time, Aunt Jane gave her a light green head scarf to keep her hair in place so she did not appear as wild as she had the day previous in front of the Inspector. Today she was wearing a smoky gray dress that accentuated her eyes rather well, Aunt Jane told her. It was another dress from Aunt Jane's past, but this one had been bought more recently than the other. Her hair was fixed in the same bun with the same two braids, the head scarf pulled tightly over it to keep it in place as Anya flew. She did insist on flying even after Aunt Jane offered to summon a cab.

"Please save your money, Aunt Jane. I have free transportation after all, and I will only have so many excuses to use them." Aunt Jane had smiled and agreed, handing her a darker gray jacket to fit over the dress with matching gloves. Anya took them graciously and donned them, looking at herself in a small mirror suspended over her dressing table. "This outfit is splendid, Aunt Jane. I can't thank you enough for allowing me to borrow it."

"Nonsense, dear. Now, hurry down to the front hall for your shoes. I shall give you directions to the Willow House from there. Oh, and I do believe I shall pop in on you later to see how the investigation is going."

"Oh, would you? You may be of tremendous help to him, Aunt Jane. I am so happy you will come." The old woman smiled and ushered her downstairs to hurry and prepare her for her flight.

In no time Anya was in the air, having shifted forms and begun her flight from her bedroom to ensure that no eyes would witness her. She ran over the directions Aunt Jane had given her in her head, allowing herself to fly rather close to the paved roads in order to see road signs. Willow House was further than Fox Hall and required more effort to find.

Later than she thought she found the rather extravagant wooden sign announcing the entrance to Willow House, and followed it down the large, paved path this time, slowing herself in order to indulge a little in the beauty of the trees that lined the lane. All too soon the lane widened and the house was suddenly before her amidst a large front yard pruned perfectly in all aspects. She stopped quickly and stepped into the last stand of trees behind her, making sure she was perfectly hidden before she shifted forms once more, extracting herself very carefully from the trees afterward. She continued on foot toward the house, her feet crunching on the lane turned gravel as it wound closer to the splayed front steps.

A car roared up behind her and she sidestepped quickly, allowing the police car to pass her quickly to join the group already parked to the side of the mossy stone building. A fountain depicting a cupid spouted water just yards from the front door, encircled by beautiful flowering plants, all of them types she did not know the names for. Perhaps plant life was something else she should have studied before she had made her transition, she mused dejectedly.

She reached the front door at nearly the same time as the other two policemen and they tipped their hats to her politely before knocking on the door, prompting the butler to open it for them. The officers allowed her to enter first and she stepped to the side quickly and nodded to them, allowing them to carry on with their business. Someone took her coat and gloves, and then her head scarf when she had removed it quickly. She was lost in the mesmerizing decor that she found inside this humongous house. Fox Hall was almost nothing to this grandeur, though Willow House was rather a tad too extravagant for her. Paintings adorned the hallway and there were carpets everywhere in varying colors and shades.

Someone suddenly bumped into her and she gasped, her eyes finding the face of a frightened servant girl as she looked positively mortified at having bumped into Anya. She opened her mouth to apologize when Anya held up a hand, staying her words. "Please, the fault is all mine, I truly apologize. I was too lost in looking around this hall that I was not paying attention to where I was placing my feet. What is your name?" she asked the still-frightened girl.

"M-Mary," the girl stammered, wringing a small cloth in her hands nervously. Anya placed her hand on top of one of the girl's, ceasing her wringing motion as she smiled disarmingly at her.

"Mary, that is a lovely name. I wonder, could you please take me to Inspector Slack? I am here to aid him in his investigation," she said soothingly, feeling the shaking of the girl slowly cease. Mary nodded excitedly, taking her hand from Anya's gently before motioning her to follow. She scurried down the hall, looking back a few times to make sure Anya was keeping up, and led her down the longest front hall she had ever seen before they finally reached the library where, sure enough, the shouts of the Inspector could be clearly heard. The girl Mary began to shake again and Anya was sure that she had recently been a target of the Inspector's shouts for something or other. Anya placed a soothing hand on her shoulder, turning the girl's head toward her.

"Thank you, I can go on from here. I am sure you are very busy this morning and I am very sorry to keep you from your duties." The girl Mary shook her head, the relief in her eyes evident.

"Not at all, miss. Thank you, miss, you are very kind. If there is anything you need, please ask me," she said, curtsying slightly before hurrying off to continue her work. Anya smiled after her. What a darling girl, she thought. Now, onto business. She knocked on the door, effectively silencing the loud arguing going on inside by the Inspector.

"Yes!" he barked. Anya turned the handle and stepped through.

"Good morning, Inspector," she said, giving him a smile.

"Ah, there you are. Come in, Miss Anya, and have a seat," he said, motioning for Lake to grab a chair for her. She closed the door behind her and hastened in, her eyes finding the young man that was currently caught under the fire of questions. His eyes had been on her since she had stepped in, and he had the most wicked light burning in them. Oh dear, she thought. This one would be a problem were she ever caught in a room alone with him. She decided to ignore his stares and sat in the chair Lake had provided her, thanking him with a cheery smile. He returned it happily before picking up his pad and returning to his note taking.

"Now," the Inspector began again as if he had never been interrupted. "We were speaking of where you were at the hours between one and four this morning." And so the barrage of questions began and Anya found herself focusing harder than ever to find any hint of a lie in order to please Slack. A few times she thought she caught the faintest of lies, but they were such tiny details as to be inconsequential, as if he were diverting attention from something else he was doing that he would rather not mention, but that had nothing to do with the murders. At the end she was forced to conclude that the man had nothing to hide that would be useful to the Inspector.

Shortly after he was sent to bring in his sister for questioning, Slack turned to Anya for answers to his unspoken questions. "He was lying, sir, but not about where he was. There was something he was doing at that time, but I am sure it has no precedence on the murder. It is more than likely something either illegal or embarrassing to relate to a policeman," she said. He harrumphed and turned away.

"I believe I received the same thing. There are two sisters to question and then the father. It was the mother and grandmother that were the victims." She was rather astonished that he was giving her so much information on the case. She did not think that he would involve her as much as he was now. When he saw the puzzled look on her face he stopped giving out facts. "Aren't you interested in this? What do you find so confusing?" he demanded. She shook her head.

"I am merely confused as to why you are telling me all this. I was to only sit in on your questioning to tell you if your suspects are telling the truth or not. I simply did not expect to be a part of the investigation as a whole." He seemed taken aback.

"Do you not wish to be a part of it?"

"Oh no, I wish very much to be. I just did not believe you would ever give me the chance, that is all, Inspector," she said. He turned his head and seemed to be contemplating it for a moment. Why was he involving her so much? She was not supposed to be a constant in his life, no matter what she said about her ridiculous Guardian Angel position. He could never allow her to throw her life away protecting an aging, grumpy man who was an Inspector first and an amateur magician after.

"It does not matter," he said after a time. "You are an asset and it would be foolish of me not to take advantage of your skills in this field. That is all. Ah, next person," he said, smoothly changing the subject as the sister entered the room, taking the seat he motioned for her to sit in. Anya had no time to think on his answer as he jumped instantly into the next round of vigorous questioning, grilling the sister longer than he had the brother until the woman was close to hysterics.

Anya was forced to interrupt which nearly sent the Inspector into a rage, his eyes wild. "I will have her calm as quickly as possible, Inspector, so that she may answer your questions effectively," she snapped after he had had his short rage at her. Again he was taken aback at her abrupt change in temperament and her lack of fear in front of him. After that first meeting in his office, she had seemed to adapt herself well to his outbursts and no longer feared them or anything he had to throw at her. He had met people in his life that had done just that, but she was a different creature altogether.

He watched, interested despite himself as she knelt by the woman, speaking quickly and in low tones. He saw the trembles in the woman dissipate almost immediately and soon she was laughing at something the blonde told her. He noticed from the corner of his eye that Lake seemed to be enjoying himself watching the two lock horns in this manner, and grew even more irritated at his sergeant Soon Anya was on her feet again after the consent of the woman that she could continue, and facing Slack once more. "You may begin again, Inspector," she said coolly, resuming her seat facing the woman.

"Thank you," he replied curtly, thrusting himself once again into his questions. But the woman was ready for him this time and fully composed, answering each question without so much as a small lie, passing Anya's test with flying colors.

As the day wore on and the people needing to be interrogated steadily diminished, the Inspector's attitude toward Anya did not improve as twice more she was forced to stop his questioning in order to give composure back to the person he was interrogating. He kept himself from raging at her the last time to keep a sharp retort from her. Somehow he was not comfortable after she snapped at him, and felt a twinge of shame. Shame?! He, be ashamed of eliciting a sharp retort from this woman? Was he going soft? he wondered bleakly. No, this woman would not tame him! he promised himself. He would remain iron strong and nothing she did would ever change his attitude, he resolved stubbornly.

The situation he found himself did not improve one bit as the day wore on either. Shortly after the last person had been let go from the interrogation room, Miss Marple was shown into the room to see the Inspector. She greeted him cheerily despite the angry color that her presence brought to his cheeks, and smiled broadly as Anya came to hug her, happy to finally see her come. Anya had begun to despair that she had angered the Inspector past the point of return and was glad for a distraction.

The four of them, Lake included, took tea from the servants in the room, and Marple started right into the Inspector, grilling him for information on the case so that she might give any help she could. He grudgingly acquiesced, allowing her the same information he had made Anya privy to, and soon left the old woman sitting back in her chair, lost in thought as she pondered the facts given her. Anya took that moment to bring Lake into the conversation, asking about some aspects of his life. She learned of his wife and of the birth of the their second child, now nearly six months old. She kept the conversation about him, not allowing him to begin delving into her past as she resolved to keep it secret from him for the moment. She had no doubt that he was trustworthy, but she feared what speaking of her past in front of the Inspector would induce in his demeanor.

Soon Anya excused herself to go and touch up her hair and throw some water on her face. She felt strangely flushed and a bit tired from having to concentrate so hard on the answers of the people questioned earlier. The tea and biscuits had helped revive her a little but she needed another push to get back to normal. She found a servant who directed her toward a wash basin in a guest room with a small mirror above it, where she checked and fixed a slight defect in her bun before splashing the cooling water on her face, wiping it off with a soft hand towel set beside the basin.

The water was just the thing she needed, she mused as she checked to make sure she had not splashed the water on her dress before exiting the room, closing the door behind her. Just as she turned to head back to the library where her three companions were, she was suddenly stopped by two hands slamming beside her head on the door behind her, a man's body effectively pinning her to her spot. It was the son that had stopped her, the first family member of Willow House she had seen upon her entrance into Inspector Slack's interrogation. She could not remember his name. William Adcock, she suddenly remembered, the one with the eyes she did not like. She felt fear from him being this close to her, his nasty intentions rolling off of him in waves. She decided to be pleasant and bide her time until she could escape or someone came around to rescue her.

"Is there something I can help you with, sir?" she asked pleasantly, keeping her thoughts from the sudden sweating of her palms. He smiled at her like a cat sneering at a mouse that was effectively caught with nowhere to go.

"You are the most exquisite creature I have ever laid eyes on. And you're a psychiatrist, I've heard. I believe that's a load of bollocks, but then I would never contradict the word of a lady," he said smoothly, his oily voice sending shivers down her spine. They were not the sort of shivers an interested lady would feel.

"I am flattered by your compliments, sir, but I must affirm that I am a psychiatrist as you have heard. I am here to test a theory on the relationship between psychiatry and interrogations," she said, moving her hands slowly up in order to shove him away if need be. She fought the urge to do anything too violent as she would have if she were still in one of her defensive training courses. Why must she stoop to the rules of humans at such a time?!

Suddenly he grabbed both of her wrists as he saw the movement of her arms and pinned them to the wall, making her gasp. Anger bloomed in her chest. How dare he attack an angel in this manner, or any woman for that matter? She struggled but he held her fast. She could throw him off, she knew, but she sorely hoped there would be no cause for that. However, the longer she made him think he was stronger than her, the faster things would escalate until they became dangerous, something she couldn't think of allowing to happen.

"Don't struggle, darling. You should be flattered that you are being given such attentions by a man like me who has wealth and power. It is like a king giving his attentions to a beggar woman. I'm sure she would fairly swoon simply by thinking of such a thing." Oh, how he disgusted her in that moment! "I know you want this just as much as I do," he said, leaning in to capture her lips with his. She turned her head quickly, her eyes squinted shut, and his lips instead found the side of her jaw.

A door opened somewhere down the hall and her eyes flew open as she found Sergeant Lake coming out of the library, presumably to search for her as she had been some time now in returning. His eyes locked on the pair of them and instantly recognized the plea in her eyes. "Oi!" he yelled, startling the man into letting go of Anya's wrists and stepping back from her. She took that instant to dart from the circle of his arms and head in the direction of Lake. When she reached him he stepped in front of her protectively, glaring at the man where he still stood.

Lake's yell brought many people into the hall, including Miss Marple and Slack, and Anya felt her hand grabbed by the old woman. "You're shaking, dear, what happened?" she asked, pulling the younger woman into a hug.

"That pig was attempting to force himself on her, sir," Lake reported to the Inspector, pointing to the man who was now hurrying out of the hall to where his sisters were standing outside of the sitting room, having been summoned by Lake's shout.

"Are you all right, miss?" Slack asked, turning his attention to Anya. She was surprised to see concern shadowing his lined face. She managed a smile to reassure him.

"I am perfectly all right. I'm just a bit shaken, that's all. Thank you, Lake, for coming out when you did,"she said, genuinely filled with gratitude to the man. He nodded, moving to take the arm that Miss Marple was not holding.

"Come, you've had a shock. Let's get you back into the room so you can sit," he said, ushering her back into the library with Miss Marple on her other side, Slack bringing up the rear. They both helped her to her seat despite her admonishments that she could walk by herself, and piled a plate high with biscuits and cakes and poured a new cup of tea for her. She couldn't help but chuckle a little at the attentions of both while Slack looked on, bewildered by the whole business and appearing somewhat sheepish to her. Was he ashamed that he had not been the one to come out and rescue her? she wondered. She mentally shook herself. Of course not, what a thought! Why should he care one way or the other?

Aunt Jane made her cram four biscuits into her belly and a whole cup of tea before she was satisfied that Anya was over her ordeal. She admonished the lad for being so rude to her young friend and told the Inspector that for as long as they were to stay at Willow House, he had better keep an eye on that young man and not let him anywhere near poor Anya! Slack seemed ruffled by her sudden outburst toward him and assured her most fervently that he would do everything in his power to keep a repeat of events from happening. Anya had tried to intercept the old woman, admonishing her for blaming the poor Inspector for something he had no power to prevent, but was immediately hushed and had another biscuit crammed in her mouth, to which she sighed and took a weary bite.

"She will not leave my sight for the rest of the day, ma'am, are you satisfied with that?" Slack suddenly bellowed, shocking Miss Marple into silence. She blinked once, twice, three times, and suddenly gave the most impish smile Anya had ever seen in her life!

"Why yes, Inspector, that would please me greatly." Slack saw his mistake too late to rectify it, and so had no choice but to keep to his word now that he had spoken it in front of three witnesses, one of which worked with him daily. Oh, he would never hear the end of this from Lake! The sergeant plagued him daily with his cheerfulness and love of pointing out any wrongs the Chief Inspector did, but he was a good worker and so did not give Slack any actual reason to want him gone. But he was an irksome fellow at times, and tomorrow would be no exception after this declaration he had just given the ladies in front of him.

The subject finally turned to other things after a few moments, and the four said and ate their fill until Slack was ready to take up looking at the evidence again and going over everything that had been told him by the family members, none of whom were lying according to Anya. At least he did not have to wrestle with that mystery, he thought ruefully. There was a certain benefit of having the young woman there to be his lie detector. It meant he did not have to do it himself, and saved him a bit of time on the subject.

The four companions stood to go their separate ways then, the officers and Anya back to reviewing the evidence and Miss Marple back to her home to be called if anything changed, when a sudden bone-chilling shriek from outside froze them in place. They glanced at each other to make sure the other heard it, and, affirming that it was no figment of imagination, quickly stole from the room to find the source of that awful sound. Officers and servants were rushing from their stations to the back door which stood wide open at the end of the long hall where the distorted figure of a fainting woman could be seen. Slack barreled his way through everyone and was the first out the doors, Anya and Lake hot on his heels as they ran to see the cause of the woman's distress.

Anya was at the woman's side in an instant attempting to revive her and make sure that she had not hurt herself badly from the fall while the men looked around to see what had caused her to faint. She recognized the woman as being the eldest sister: Janet, her name came from her memory. Slack stopped, pointing out a black figure to Lake on the other side of the stone wall to their left. Both men peered over and saw the smashed-in face of what they assumed was the father, Mr. Adcock, his clothes being the same that he had been questioned in earlier. The younger sister Judith and one fiendish brother William darted toward their fallen sister, exclaiming wildly. Anya quickly stood and moved aside for the two of them and looked to where the other officers had gathered around what she presumed was a body.

One of the servants approached at the same time as Anya and screamed, covering her face with her hands as the men around hastened to take her from the grisly scene and back into the house. Anya felt her heart begin to ache as she saw the distorted face of what had once been the proud father of three children and master of the beautiful Willow House. She also noticed quickly that the man had a head wound which had most certainly killed him, and then his attacker had most likely used the same weapon to smash up his face into an unrecognizable mask of blood and bone. Slack turned to see her ashen face and moved quickly to usher her to another spot away from the body.

"Are you ill?" he asked as he gently took hold of her elbow to walk her away. She wrenched her eyes away from the body and looked at Slack, seeing a little worry mirrored there, and in that instant realized that she had unconsciously reached up to grab her left breast in pain. She quickly let her hand fall, the pain slowly easing now that her eyes were diverted from the sight.

"I am all right, Inspector. It pains me to see any dead creature, that is all. My heart aches for him and his family." She looked back at the three young people that were now left, the elder sister having been revived and who now was crying inconsolably against the other sister's shoulder. "Who would do something like this?" she asked softly. Slack shook his head, not knowing the answer to that question. He hoped that in time he would, preferably before yet another murder occurred.

Aunt Jane was there suddenly by her other elbow, patting her reassuringly whilst scrutinizing the body with a curious eye. "Don't worry, dear, I shall stay longer so that we can find this killer. I hope you don't have a problem with that, Chief Inspector?" she asked, turning a wicked eye on the man. He narrowed his eyes back at her.

"Do as you will, Miss Marple," he said. His eyes found Anya's again. "Come, this is now another crime scene. We need to move to let forensics do their work."

"Oh, yes, of course," Anya said, moving to do his bidding. Aunt Jane walked in front while she and Slack stayed behind her, walking slowly from the body as the forensics team moved to begin processing. Anya noticed with a start that the Inspector was still holding her under the elbow as if he thought she might faint dead away at any time. She was about to pull away when his hand suddenly fell from her on its own. He cleared his throat, embarrassed, but Anya continued her walk back to the house and did not mention anything to him, allowing his actions to seemingly go unnoticed.

Now here was a real dilemma, she thought. Here they had a third murder, and now one less suspect. Was it the murderer that killed the father perhaps for some knowledge that he had? Or was the father the original murderer, and someone else knew of his crimes and decided to take the law into his or her own hands? Anya didn't know where to start and so watched Aunt Jane to see if she could catch any hint of what the old woman was thinking. She had learned early that Aunt Jane did not reveal all she knew to anyone else until she was ready, and Anya had begun to learn patience with her in matters such as these.

The three filed back into the house and Slack took the lead then, walking everyone into the interrogation room where some policemen and women had come back to, waiting for further instructions from their Chief Inspector in the wake of this new development in the case. Anya let Aunt Jane take her chair as she stood behind it, watching as Slack walked to the front of the room before turning to face the small group before him.

"We need to work double time now to find this murderer before he strikes again. This person has killed three people now, and one of them right under our noses. I will not tolerate it. I want the remaining family members watched at all times, and every single servant questioned diligently. No one is to leave the premises for any reason at all, even if they've already been questioned. Lake, go gather the siblings and bring them in here. I want everyone out of this room before they come in except for you two." He nodded toward Anya and Miss Marple. The rest of the officers filed out of the room quickly before they got a tongue-lashing from Slack, leaving the three alone in the room for the time being.

"Miss Marple," Slack began, sitting briefly in a chair behind a make-shift desk the police had set up earlier. "Do you have any ideas at this point as to who we are looking for?" The old woman seemed startled from a daze.

"What? Oh, yes, ideas. Yes, well, I do have a few. One is that I believe you are looking for a woman and not a man."

"Oh yes? And what gave you that idea?" Slack asked, leaning back heavily in the chair, fixing the old woman with his piercing stare. Unconcerned, she continued.

"Well, did you smell the air around the body? I knew I caught a faint whiff of perfume but the wind blew it away so quickly I almost thought I was mistaken. The eldest sister was not wearing any to my recollection. Do you recall, dear? You went to her first before the body was discovered by the rest of us," Aunt Jane said, peering up at Anya. She thought back.

"I don't recall smelling any perfume on her, Aunt Jane. But it could have been faint, put on a while back." The old woman nodded curtly, looking back down at her lap as she contemplated these facts. Slack looked as if he'd be happier tossing the elderly woman out the door rather than hear any more of her musings.

Before he could ask her anything else, the door was opened again, permitting the three siblings into the small office. Lake entered after them and pulled up three more chairs, placing one by Anya with a smile. "Thank you, Lake, you are kind," she said, seating herself as the three made themselves comfortable, William attempting to catch Anya's eyes. Lake made sure to pull up a chair by Anya, placing her in between himself and Miss Marple, forming a protective barrier around her that she greatly appreciated.

Aunt Jane leaned over suddenly just before Slack stood to begin, and whispered in her ear. "Be sure to focus now, dear. The murderer may be in this room right now. Focus on the two sisters, especially the younger, Judith. Do you see that tiny smudge on the top of her right ear lobe? I'm almost certain that could be blood." She patted Anya's hand and sat straight again, pinning young William to his chair with a cold stare as he continued his attentions toward an unresponsive Anya. He seemed to wither slightly caught in the old woman's stare and turned his attention to the commanding presence of Inspector Slack as the detective began.

Anya stared at Judith's right ear lobe, finally spotting the tiny speck that Aunt Jane was speaking of, though she couldn't possibly tell from this angle if it were blood or a small blemish. She did as she was told, however, and focused especially hard on her as she answered questions flawlessly. She was not lying, yet she was holding back something as well. Anya let her eye lids droop over her eyes as she focused all of her attention on Judith, letting her senses go as she blocked out Slack's voice and any other noises, allowing Judith's voice to fill her very being.

Miss Marple watched her young friend, seeing the concentrated wrinkling of the angel's brow, how her eyes closed slowly, her mouth drawn into a hard line. She looked from her to Judith, noticing small movements, the twitch of the mouth, the darting of the eyes around the room every once in a while. Her eyes shifted back to Anya as she half-listened to Judith's answers, waiting for any hint from the angel for her to stop the questioning.

Judith was speaking of her whereabouts when she suddenly slipped up. It wasn't in her story, but rather in her tone. And there it was, the whole lie! Anya's senses exploded, her mind racing wildly. Judith had not been in the drawing room, that was for sure! But where had she been? She was wearing a sweater while no one else in the house was, why was that? Slack asked. There was a draft, Judith answered. One of the servants must not have closed a window. Anya's eyes flew open and her heart quickened as a switch suddenly flipped on in her brain.

"A draft?" Slack stopped mid-sentence, turning an astonished gaze toward Anya who had now come to her feet between a bewildered Miss Marple and Sergeant Lake. Judith looked just as astonished.

"Yes, a draft. That is what I said, is it not?" she asked, puzzled herself by this woman who suddenly interrupted.

"It is. In what direction was the draft coming?" she asked, raising an eye brow. Slack looked from her to Judith, who began to shake.

"I don't know! Whichever window was open, obviously! I didn't check!" Anya smiled.

"The wind today is blowing in a northeasterly direction, as I recall. The drawing room is full west with the sun beginning to filter in around this time. The room would have been warm with no wind coming in even with all of the windows open, or certainly not enough to create a draft cold enough to induce one to pull on another layer. Your father was on the northeast side of the house where the wind would have been blowing rather hard, certainly enough to make one want to wear a sweater. And you would not have had enough time to grab one while you were running to get to your screaming sister, as you and your brother were nearly out the back door at the same time we were, and you were already wearing the sweater, not pulling one on. So why were you wearing the sweater?"

At this point the woman was shaking so hard it appeared that she was having a fit of some sort, and tears welled in her eyes. "That doesn't prove anything!" she shouted, suddenly launching herself from her seat into Anya, toppling the both of them. Anya cried out in pain when her lower back hit the unyielding wooden chair as Judith began screeching and clawing at her face, slapping and hitting her before Lake and the others could drag her off of Anya.

Blood was coursing down her cheek and eye brow from two long scratches Judith had managed to inflict before being pulled off, and Aunt Jane was there with a handkerchief hurriedly blotting the blood from her face and calling for someone to get medical help. Judith was hauled from the room screaming and crying by two female officers while Slack and Lake hurried back to see how Anya was.

"I am so sorry I didn't grab her in time, miss," Lake was apologizing, looking mortified as he saw the state her face was in. She smiled, her lips sore from the smacking.

"Do not think of it, Lake. I thought she might try something like that," she said, accepting Slack's help back to her feet. A sudden twinge in her back made her gasp in pain and start to fall back before the Inspector snaked an arm around her, keeping her from hitting the floor on her knees.

"Easy now, Miss Anya. Lake, get a servant and have him bring up a wash basin and cloth for her. We'll take her to the sitting room. There should be a couch in there she can lie down on." She tried to free herself, insisting that she was not that badly hurt, but Slack held her close and snapped at her to stop struggling and let him help her, for God's sake. She sighed and slumped in the circle of his arm then, submitting to his will as he started to lead her from the room. Miss Marple take a hold of her other arm.

"My dear, you should not have let yourself take such a beating if you knew it would come," Aunt Jane admonished her gently. Anya chuckled weakly.

"I confess, I have had worse happen to me, Aunt Jane. That was a mere scuffle compared to what I have seen and been a part of." Aunt Jane tisked her.

"Dear, dear, you were the wild child, weren't you?" Anya laughed, stifling it with a gasp as her back twinged in admonishment. "Oh my, you must lie down and rest immediately," Aunt Jane said just as Lake returned to give a helping hand. He took Anya's other arm from Miss Marple and wrapped it around his shoulders, the two men walking her easily from the office and down the hall to the sitting room, seating her quickly on a small couch. Aunt Jane sat beside her and began washing her face with the cloth. The warm water felt pleasant on her face and she was able to relax just a little until her back twinged again, making her cringe. Aunt Jane tisked again.

"We'll have to have the doctor look at you, dear," she said as she gently wiped blood from Anya's cheek.

"No, Aunt Jane, trust me when I say that is not necessary. I promise you." She looked at the old woman, trying to convey her meaning. Aunt Jane searched her eyes and then nodded, thinking then that she did in fact understand her meaning. Anya was an angel after all, she reminded herself. Of course she would have some sort of healing powers.

Slack, however, was not convinced. "Of course she must see a doctor. That fall hurt her back so that she can barely walk! I'll call for one right now." He moved to go to the door when Anya's hand on his sleeve stopped him.

"I do not need a doctor, sir, I assure you. I will be fine." She smiled up at him in what she hoped was a reassuring way even as her back began to slowly pulse with pain where she was sure she had a very large bruise. He did not seem convinced but he stayed where he was, sighing heavily at the determination on her face. She waited to make sure he would stay and then slowly let go of his sleeve.

"Very well. But I will insist on giving you a lift home in my car when we leave," he said. She smiled.

"I did bring a coat and gloves this time, Inspector." He gave her a half-smile before it seemed to slip off his face. He looked to Lake as his mind came back to the present case.

"Lake, go see what has become of Judith Adcock and see if she will confess. If she refuses, come get me." Lake nodded and hurried off. Slack looked at Miss Marple and then, deciding quickly, took a chair across from the two women. "Now, Miss Anya, why will you not go to see a doctor?" he asked sternly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I am an angel, sir, and have the ability to heal myself. My back will not be a problem by later on tonight, and neither will these cuts on my face. I shall look normal again before I go to sleep tonight," she stated. "I certainly did not look like the capable guardian I am supposed to be for you today, did I?" she laughed nervously, glancing to Aunt Jane. She smiled and patted the girl's hand.

"You were just fine today, dear. I'm sure the Inspector does not think you a poor guardian now, am I correct?" She turned her steel gray eyes to Slack and he cleared his throat under her gaze.

"I am still not convinced of this whole angel story. And for you to believe it also, Miss Marple, is a great surprise to me," he said scathingly, returning to his usual ignorant self the instant Anya mentioned her heritage.

"One day I shall convince you, Inspector. And then you'll have no choice but to accept me as I am," Anya said softly. They locked eyes, searching each other in that moment. Miss Marple looked between the two of them and smiled to herself. Oh yes, the Inspector was intrigued by her young angel friend and would soon be under her spell, if he wasn't already. Just three days and the Inspector already began showing signs of concern for the girl and, very rarely, a willingness to not argue with her, which surprised the old woman the most. For the Inspector to not argue with someone who interrupted or overrode an order from him was akin to a sign of the apocalypse in Miss Marple's mind.

Oh yes, things would work out just fine for these two in the end, the brilliant spinster knew.

"Inspector," Anya began, her embarrassment obvious as she began wringing her hands together. He blinked when she looked away from him and wondered what it was she needed to say.

"Yes?" She turned her brilliant green eyes back to him and he fought to keep from swallowing involuntarily at the look in them.

"You may think me too forward in this request, but if I am to continue assisting you with your interrogations, perhaps it is best if we can communicate with each other in another way that would allow none other to hear our conversation." He was perplexed now, wondering what on Earth she could possibly mean. A conversation no one else could hear? What, were they supposed to speak with their minds or something? His thoughts were interrupted as she was suddenly standing and walking toward him, lowering herself to her knees in front of him. She was very close, too close for comfort at this moment, and he found himself leaning back slightly to keep a decent distance between the two. He noticed vaguely that Miss Marple was watching the events with keen interest, not moving to interrupt at all.

"Relax, Inspector, I am not going to hurt you. But this will require me to be a little close for comfort, you understand. Now, you must trust me and allow me to do what I will with your eyes closed. Can you do that? It will not take long, I assure you," she said, her eyes piercing his with an intensity he had not yet seen from her. She very nearly frightened him with the intensity of her gaze, something few people had done before. He could do nothing but nod, not trusting himself to utter any words as he slowly closed his eyes for her to begin whatever it was she was doing.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt both her hands cup his cheeks, and his eyes flew open in fury at her presumptuous actions, but she silenced his unspoken declaration with a single glare. "Eyes closed, Inspector. I am not taking advantage of you, I promise. Trust me. Close your eyes!" He snapped them shut once more, his cheeks burning with shame at having been scolded like a schoolboy by this woman who was nearly half his age, at least.

Her hands remained on his cheeks and suddenly he felt her forehead touch his, her lips lightly resting against the bridge of his nose as he held perfectly still, wondering what on Earth would happen if Lake or another officer decided to appear at that moment. And then his thoughts turned to Anya again as he felt the most peculiar sensation in his head. It started out as a wave of warmth that seemed to roll from her forehead throughout his entire head, trickling down his face, neck, shoulders, and on down until his whole body was engulfed in a pleasant warmth that seemed to pulse with a life of its own. Anya held her position against him a moment longer before she slowly began to pull away, and as she did it felt as if a cord had somehow been tied between their foreheads, stretching tighter and tighter as she pulled away from him.

She let her hands fall from his cheeks and sat back, opening her eyes to see his face screwed up in concentration as he attempted to assert why he felt the way he did. She almost laughed out loud until his eye lids fluttered open, and he stared at her. She could hear his thoughts now, as clearly as she could hear his voice should he speak now. He was wondering what on Earth she had done to him, and she smiled, sending new thoughts racing into his head that further amused her, but she fought to keep her composure.

"Now, Inspector," she said out loud. "Watch my lips as I speak to you." She turned the conversation inward. ~_Can you hear me?_~ she sent, watching his eyes widen as he realized that she was not, in fact, using her mouth to speak to him.

"You can speak in my head?" he demanded. She silenced him with a mental admonishment. ~_Use your mind!_~ she snapped, making him flinch at the forceful tone. He concentrated hard, forming the words he would have spoken in his mind.

~_W-We can speak using our minds now?_~ It was sent slowly, but she understood the whole sentence and was very proud of him in that moment. She smiled and nodded to him her understanding, and his eyes went even wider.

"Brilliant, Inspector. That is our new form of communication," she said aloud, transferring herself from the floor to the couch again. "All angels must establish an unbreakable bond with their humans from the start so that, even if separated, they can find each other quickly if danger threatens. Do you still doubt me, Inspector?" she asked slyly, but he was too astonished to answer at the moment.

Just then the door opened and Lake entered again, informing the Inspector that Judith was not confessing, but instead ranting and raving about how she wanted to get her hands on Miss Anya and strangle the life out of her. Slack sighed and got to his feet, sending Lake back out of the room on another errand. He turned to the two ladies before him, his eyes lingering an instant longer on Anya.

"I will see what I can do about this confession. In the meantime, the case seems to be just about closed. Miss Marple, if you would like I can send for a cab for you. I'm sure you are very tired from the events of the day. And I will leave you here to rest, Miss Anya, unless you prefer to leave with Miss Marple."

"I believe I shall stay here with you, Inspector. There's no telling what that woman Judith is capable of, and I would like to be on hand should I be needed." He rolled his eyes.

"I assure you that I will be well protected by the other officers here. If you stay, you will keep to this room and rest until we are ready to leave. I will come collect you when the car is ready. Excuse me." He exited the room quickly, leaving the two women alone to exchange knowing glances between one another.

"I must say, my dear, that you were most brilliant just now. He cannot escape the fact now that you are his guardian, don't you think?" Marple asked, standing herself and walking to the corner of the room where she pulled on the elaborate cord that would summon a servant. "I do believe all this business has made me very hungry. Would you like something, dear? At least tea, of course," she said, resuming her seat. Anya smiled.

"Yes, I think I will just have tea. I am still rather full from all the cakes and biscuits you and Sergeant Lake forced me to eat earlier." She rubbed her tummy absentmindedly, making Aunt Jane laugh heartily.

"Do you think it wise, my dear, to leave him in the same room as Judith?" she asked suddenly, sobering the mood just as a servant arrived to take their order. Anya leaned back on the couch, thinking on the subject as Miss Marple gave their requests and the servant had left.

"Through our connection, I will be immediately alerted to any change in his constitution. If his heart starts beating abnormally fast, I will know something is wrong. Any changes in his normal body function will, in turn, be recognized in mine, and I will be able to switch my form and be by his side in an instant if needed, especially since the room is only just down the hall. I am in no way worried that she will attack him, however, as her anger seems to all be directed at me."

"Yes, my dear, you surprised me with your keen observation of her sweater and the wind patterns today. Though, I was confused about the drawing room. How did you know the direction it was facing?" Anya smiled rather slyly.

"That I worked up on the spot, Aunt Jane. I have no idea what direction the drawing room was facing! But the way I presented it to her made her think that I knew better, and she was so flustered that by the time I began making things up, she knew that I knew she was the murderer."

"I must say I am incredibly proud of your sharp mind. You may grow to be another me in time," she laughed. Anya hastily protested.

"I could never be like you, Aunt Jane, never! You are infinitely cleverer than I and the world will be a drearier place once you're gone, though I think Heaven will liven up a little," she acknowledged with a smile. The old woman tisked, waving her finger at the angel mockingly. The servant came back with a small tray of tea and cakes. Anya carefully avoided the cakes, making her tea up with a smile at Aunt Jane who seemed purposefully oblivious.

When they had finished everything to their heart's content, Slack knocked and entered the room again, informing Miss Marple that there was a cab now waiting at the entrance to take her home where she could get some proper rest. She thanked him heartily and set off on her own, leaving Slack alone with Anya. The more time they spent together, she reasoned, the more their newly-formed bond would grow.

As soon as the old woman had left the room, Slack's eyes seemed to not know where to rest. For some reason he now felt uncomfortable around Anya, perhaps because she could now read his thoughts. The sudden clearing of her throat summoned his eyes to her where she sat contently on the couch, watching him curiously. Finally, she could not take the silence any longer and so took it upon herself to begin a conversation.

"Was a confession given?" she asked. He nodded, his eyes finding a vase to rest on instead of her deep green irises. The way he avoided her eyes irritated her but she decided to not comment on it. "Good. So the bad guy has been caught, in a manner of speaking. Is there anything else you wish me to do or anyone who needs my services?" He cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable.

"No, no, Miss Anya, there is nothing else I have for you."

"Anya, please, Inspector. Just Anya." He looked at her this time. She smiled softly, wishing to ease his nerves. "We have formed a bond, Inspector, and therefore we now have what you can call an informal relationship. However, I will continue to call you Inspector until you permit me to call you by another name," she said.

In a way he appreciated her understanding as she knew very well he was not at all comfortable with getting very close to people. It was not a common practice he employed and was looked upon quite negatively at headquarters. But his dedication and excellent work in the field was always cause for others to overlook his rusty social skills and work with him. Lake, especially, was a professional at overlooking his rather antisocial tendencies, and accepted him wholly, finding humor in his faults at times. At this moment Lake was having a field day with the awkward situation Slack found himself in concerning Anya, and the thought of it made Slack's face burn.

"Very well, Miss- I mean, Anya," he stammered. "Everything here is done and everyone is packed and ready to go back to HQ. I'll give you a lift to Miss Marple's place in my car, so please gather your things." She smiled.

"Of course, Inspector. Right away." She stood slowly, her back continuing to pain her, and suddenly Slack was beside her with a hand on her elbow.

"You should have gone to see a doctor, you know." His voice was still rough when he addressed her but his hand was gentle on her arm. "You did not have to be so stubborn."

"A doctor can do nothing for a bruise, Inspector. It would be pointless. I assure you-"

"Yes, yes, that you'll be fully healed by the time you go to bed," he snapped. He glanced down at her face and gave a rather pained look. She did not need to see his face to know his thoughts.

"This was not your fault, Inspector. I knew full well what she was capable of and what she would probably do when she was found out. She would have done the same thing to any other person, so that is why I made sure it was me." He shook his head, not believing what he was hearing from this strange girl.

He led her slowly from the room and down the hall to where a maid held Anya's coat and headscarf. Anya smiled as she recognized the maid as Mary, the poor girl she had run into upon entering Willow House. Mary smiled at her and gave her a curtsy. "I heard about your fall, ma'am. I hope you are feeling all right," she said, hurrying to throw the coat around her shoulders.

"I am well. Thank you, Mary." She took the headscarf and donned it quickly, pulling her gloves from her coat pocket to put on before Slack replaced his hand on her elbow to lead her out the front door. "Good day to you, Mary. Thank you for everything," she said, smiling to the young girl. Mary blushed and smiled back, curtsying once more to her before hurrying off.

Just as the butler was opening the front door for the two of them, Anya suddenly heard her name being shouted from behind by a voice she hoped she would never hear again! They both turned to see William Adcock trotting up to them, beaming to see his catch. He stopped a little close for comfort in front of Anya and she took an involuntary step backward, placing Slack closer to the man than she. William grabbed for her hand and she let him take it to his lips unwillingly, knowing the customs and what was expected but feeling revolted at the same time as his wet lips touched the back of her hand.

"I just wanted to apologize for how my sister Judith reacted earlier. I hope you are not too hurt? I see you need help walking. Would you care to have another shoulder to lean on?" he asked, extending an arm to circle around her other side. She jerked back and suddenly Slack took things into his own hands.

"Sir, I believe the young woman is fine enough to walk with only the help of one person. We thank you for the offer, but we must be going now. Good night, sir." He turned Anya around swiftly and she suddenly felt like a puppet in his strong arms as he steered her briskly out the door and down the stairs to the waiting car. Lake jumped into action from where he was leaning against the passenger side and quickly opened the back door for her, helping her in before closing the door behind her and jumping in on his side. Slack walked briskly to the other side of the car, keeping a wary eye on William as he stood pouting at the top of the stairs with his hands stuck deep into his pockets. He got in beside Anya, snapping for the driver to step on it. The car jerked forward and thankfully soon they were leaving Willow House and the young, brash William behind.

~_Thank you, Inspector. I did not feel safe around that man,_~ Anya thought softly to Slack. He jerked his head around, catching her smiling in obvious relief up at him and he suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

~_You're welcome,_~ he thought sharply back to her, turning his head to the window and the scenery as the sky darkened with the setting of the sun. She turned to look out her own window, thinking of her triumphs so far. He was still brusque with her, but he seemed to have less steam with every snappy comment. Perhaps he was softening? She could only hope so. She had worked rather hard that day to keep him safe and continue to prove her worth to him at the same time. She could only wait and pray that her actions worked on him.

The three people in the car rode in silence until they came to Miss Marple's house finally, the street lit with only a few lamps. Slack got out and opened the door for her, helping her out and even walking her to the door. When they reached it, Miss Marple appeared and gave her thanks for seeing Anya home safely. Slack dipped his hat at the both of them and turned sharply, striding back to the car without a backward glance as the two women watched him. Anya held a hand up to the car when he got back in and saw Lake raise his own in a farewell before the car jerked back to life, speeding away at the barking orders of Slack. He did not raise a hand and did not even look back to her as the car raced off into the night. She sighed heavily, feeling the old woman's thin hand snake under her elbow as she helped the angel into her home, closing the door against the gusting wind.

"Do not look so glum, my dear. You did very well today! I could tell that the Inspector is now very much taken with you, even if he will not show it at all. I am sure he is beginning to open up to the possibility of sharing his life with you." Anya stripped off her coat and headscarf, crossing the short expanse of the hall into the sitting room and lowering herself rather heavily into her chair. Marple followed her and took the chair opposite, watching the angel worriedly.

"I cannot tell, Aunt Jane. Even with our bond, he has seemed to quickly learn how to shut me from his mind to the point where sometimes I cannot tell what he is thinking. I fear that with time this new-found skill of his will only get stronger until our bond can no longer develop. I still feel that he resents me for butting into his life so officiously. Perhaps I went about this the wrong way completely."

"Now, dear, do not think that way." Aunt Jane patted her hand soothingly, summoning Bessie for tea. Anya suddenly stood.

"No tea for me, Aunt Jane, thank you. I think I shall go straight to bed and begin my healing process. It will further drain me and so I should be in bed while I do it. Goodnight, Aunt Jane," she excused herself. Marple watched her go and sighed, folding her hands together as she thought further about what Anya had said. It was possible that the Chief Inspector thought the girl's being in his life an intrusion, of course. In all the time that Marple had known the Inspector, she had never heard him speak to anyone of a wife or even a girlfriend, though that did not necessarily mean he did not have someone, she reasoned, however doubtful she thought it. Perhaps she could ask around town during her morning errands tomorrow and see if anyone in St. Mary Mead had heard of a significant other of Slack's.

Anya sat heavily on her bed, her back aching from her walk up the stairs. She looked at herself in the mirror, at the ugly scratches across her eye brow and cheek. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, placing one hand on each scratch, forcing herself to concentrate on the short healing process. She hissed in her breath as she felt the skin piece itself together in an instant of pain that was gone quickly. When next she opened her eyes her face was flawless once more, not even the smallest hint of a break in the skin left behind. She smiled briefly at her handiwork and then set about healing the large bruise on her back before she went to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Anya was awake well after Aunt Jane, having exhausted herself more thoroughly than she had thought the previous day. Bessie came up shortly after she got up to splash her face with water, bringing a tray with toast and jam, tea and a hard boiled egg for her breakfast. She thanked the girl and ate her breakfast quickly, not at all in a lady-like manner. Aunt Jane must have known how her appetite would be, she thought.

She dressed plainly that day in a pale pink dress, another of Aunt Jane's hand-me-downs. She would have to find a way to get some of her own dresses and keep herself from stealing all of Aunt Janes'. Once she had done her hair up in the fashion she wished, she headed downstairs to go out with Aunt Jane to accompany her on her morning errands. The old woman seemed surprised when Anya came bursting out of her room saying she wished to shop with her that morning.

"Are you sure, my dear? There may be another case today, don't you think-?"

"Aunt Jane, please, I would much rather spend the day with you. I think I'd rather like a break from Inspector Slack and anymore killing. I do not enjoy being in the same house as a dead person, you know," she said ruefully, pulling on her coat and gloves. Aunt Jane knew better than to quarrel with her, and told Bessie that if the Inspector did ring, to tell him that they had both gone out and would be back in a couple of hours. If it wasn't urgent, then they wouldn't call back that day.

Pleased with her message, Aunt Jane set out at once, Anya hot on her heels as the two women clip-clopped down the small lane and out into the street, moving to the side for a slow-moving cart pulled by a grumpy-looking old black gelding. As he passed he slowed and nudged Anya's side gently with his muzzle, receiving a small pat on the neck from the angel before walking on at the urging of his driver. The old gelding warmed Anya's heart and brought a smile to her face, to which Marple was glad at the animal for helping to do.

She started a conversation then about the farmers in St. Mary Mead, drawing Anya's attention from what her thoughts were on to what Marple wished her to think about. Anya was soon drawn in to the talk of animals that farmers kept and what funny things animals had done to Aunt Jane in her younger days as she had played with them a lot as a child. Soon Anya was laughing and as happy as could be, her thoughts completely diverted from Slack and his gloomy self.

They visited many shops that day and Marple, without Anya's knowing, spoke with the shopkeeper and anyone within the shops about Slack to try and establish if there was a woman in his life. She insisted on buying a few dresses for Anya while they were out, knowing that she couldn't go on wearing hand-me-downs forever. When Anya resisted, she stated flatly that she had come into some money a few months ago by means of an old man who had died and left it to her in exchange for her solving the mystery of a young girl's murder who had been engaged to his son. She explained the whole story to Anya over the course of the morning, astonishing the girl with her accounts of the people she had met and what horrible things had happened while she was on the tour she was assigned to be on with her nephew.

"So you see, my dear, he gave me so much money that I will not be able to spend it all before I die, so I need you to help me along," she stated plainly, enticing another smile from Anya.

"You are a strange creature, Aunt Jane," the young woman laughed, finally allowing her to be shooed off by Marple to choose a few outfits for herself. While Anya was searching, Marple took the opportunity to ask the shopkeeper if she knew anything about Inspector Slack and especially anything about him having a woman.

"I know nothing about a woman now, ma'am, but I do believe there was one a long time ago. I don't recall her name just now, but I know she wasn't from around these parts. She was young and pretty, and very much in love with the Inspector, or so he thought. I don't remember the scandal entirely, but I do believe she was caught cheating, ma'am, and left the town soon after with her lover." Marple inhaled sharply and tisked the unknown girl. Perhaps she was the reason that the Inspector acted the way he did now. He was cold to everyone he knew, but perhaps he was a tad colder to young, pretty women he came across?

They spoke a bit more on the subject before the old woman caught sight of Anya hurrying toward them with her chosen outfits in her arms. Marple changed the subject quickly, to the great alarm of the woman behind the counter, and bought the clothing for Anya with unnatural swiftness before ushering her out of the store and toward a small restaurant, claiming that it was lunch time and that she was famished. Anya did not comment on her strange behavior, but instead followed the old woman, beaming with delight at the buying of her new clothing. She would try the items on directly when they returned home.

After lunch they headed directly back to Marple's house with their bags. Bessie met them at the door, ushering them inside quickly. "What is it, Bessie? What's the matter?" Marple asked as she quickly stripped off her outerwear, looking worriedly at the young maid.

"Oh, miss, the Inspector has called twice now! The first time I gave him your message, ma'am, and he told me to give you a message in return immediately when you came in the door. Then a few hours passed when he called again, and when I told him you were still not home, he told me to forget the message and that he would come over directly to speak with you and Miss Anya!" Bessie wailed, hurrying to gather the outerwear from both women and hang them in the closet.

"When was this, Bessie?" Anya demanded. "When did he last call?" The maid stopped and looked at the small clock in the hall.

"It must have been about fifteen minutes ago now, miss. He should be here any minute!"

"Hurry, Anya!" Aunt Jane turned swiftly, ushering the young woman toward the stairs. "Change into one of your outfits quickly, before he comes! You must look your best before he gets here, hurry!" Anya bolted up the stairs, her bags hitting her knees as she raced to get to her room, throwing the bags on the bed once she reached it. She quickly stripped off her dress, being careful not to rip it in her haste, and searched through her bags for the rather favored outfit she had picked out.

She had seen some young women wearing pants now that the war was over, and so she decided that she wouldn't be too out of place if she decided to wear such things as well. She had found a deep green shirt and matching pants that were the same shade as her eyes, and she pulled the two articles of clothing out to don now as she heard Aunt Jane calling up the stairs that a car had just pulled up in front of the house. Anya slipped on the pants and then the shirt, turning to the mirror to tie her hair back into a long tail, not bothering to try and do an intricate bun. A black belt was the last article to go on, and she wrapped it around her waist just as Bessie started hollering for her to come quick, the Inspector was at the door!

Anya literally flew down the stairs after slipping back into her short heels and landed just before she came into view of the door, hurrying the rest of the way down on foot just as Aunt Jane opened the door for the Inspector and Sergeant Lake. Slack's eyes turned to find the source of movement just to his right and stopped, widening slightly as they took in her strange attire. The deep green, light suit gently hugged every inch of the young blonde's body, and the Inspector felt his face begin to burn. What was she trying to do to him? And why was she wearing such an outfit?

"Inspector, what a pleasant surprise," Anya said as she swept forward. "I'm sorry we were out for so long today. Aunt Jane and I rather got swept up while shopping." Slack was so shocked at her attire that he was nearly quiet for a whole minute.

"I-uh-is that outfit new?" he stuttered. Anya smiled and twirled once in front of him and Lake. The outfit covered her entirely, but the slender cut left almost nothing to the imagination.

"Yes, just bought today. Aunt Jane treated me to a few new outfits. Do you like it?" Lake affirmed with a nod, complimenting her on the color choice.

"You are too kind, Lake, thank you." Slack stayed silent, pointedly tearing his eyes away from her and looking instead to Miss Marple who chose that time to ask the Inspector what business could be so urgent that the both of them had to drive over and collect both women immediately.

"Ah," Slack opened up now that he was back in his element, relieved to focus on something other than the clothing that left him feeling rather flustered.

"Miss Marple, we have a case which, I believe, requires someone with your expertise. I also have a suspect who is not talking at all, and we need someone that can help her open up and talk to us." He looked to Anya, and she nodded an affirmation.

"Of course I will help, Inspector. We're ready to go now, aren't we, Aunt Jane?" she asked, reaching for the closet door.

"Oh yes, dear, I am ready. Bessie, we may not be home til late again tonight, so please don't worry about dinner. But we may need some refreshments when we do get back," she told the young maid, who promptly nodded and hurried to help with the coats of her two mistresses.

The four hurried out the door, and both men each held open a door of the car for the women. Anya sat down beside Aunt Jane and Slack closed the door behind her before getting in the passenger seat, Sergeant Lake the driver to be barked at this time. Slack filled them in on the facts of the case as they drove, explaining that this was another double murder involving poison as the choice of murder weapon. One immediate member of the family survives the name, and the rest of the suspects are staff of the house. The story that was given was that a burglar broke into the house and poisoned the parents, leaving them for dead in their bed before taking jewelry and fleeing the scene.

"Why would a burglar bring poison with him to use in a burglary?" Anya asked, sitting forward to better communicate with the two officers. Slack turned in his seat to look back at her, his face nearly colliding with hers before he pulled back. She giggled at his near miss, watching him compose himself once more.

"That is one of the things that doesn't make sense about this story. So we believe it is one of the staff who did the poisoning."

"Why not the last remaining family member?" Her quick mind caused Slack to smile for an instant.

"Because, Anya, the family member is a ten year old girl," he said. She nodded, suddenly understanding.

"And she is the 'suspect' that you need me to get talking for you." She sat back in her seat as Slack turned another smile on her.

"Indeed she is."

The drive wore on for close to half an hour, most of it in silence. When finally they reached the house where the murder had taken place, it was late afternoon. The dirt drive was packed full of police vehicles and the front door was constantly opening and closing for the transport of evidence. Lake parked the car as close to the front door as he could and then hopped out with Slack to let the women out of the car before the four of them headed into the house to begin their jobs. Lake took Miss Marple into the interrogation room to look at the evidence gathered while Slack took Anya to the little girl she was supposed to help.

"She hasn't said a word to anyone and appears to prefer the company of women to men. There have been three different female officers go up to try and talk with her but none of them have been able to get the child to utter a single word. I'm hoping you can be the one to get her talking. Do you think you can do it?" he asked, stopping outside a door that she presumed held the child in question on the other side. Anya shrugged.

"I won't know until I try, but I will try my best," she assured. He nodded, knocking on the door. A woman opened the door and Slack nodded to her.

She nodded back and turned her head to speak over her shoulder.

"There's another woman out here that will talk to you, dear. Be sure to be a good girl and cooperate with her," she said with false kindness, stepping out into the hall with Anya and Slack.

"Any change?" he asked, business-like as usual. The woman shook her head.

"I can't get a word out of her. Perhaps your psychiatrist can." She brushed past the two of them, barely missing knocking into Anya's shoulder. The angel's eyes were wide as the woman stalked off, her hands clenched into fists. Anya looked from the woman's straight, angry back to Slack, who seemed not to have noticed the silent exchange.

"What is it?" he asked, startled by the look in her eyes. Suddenly she laughed, confusing him even more. "I don't understand. What's so amusing?" She shook her head, clutching her stomach as she fought back the tide of laughter that was aching to get out.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Inspector, you have an admirer," she said, jerking her head in the direction of the woman. He looked over his shoulder and then back to her.

"What do you mean? An admirer?"

"Of course she is! You should speak to her. Perhaps you will like her too. Don't worry, I will do what I can up here. I'm sure she will be ecstatic to see you out of my company," she said, patting him on the shoulder once before she turned the door handle, leaving a bewildered Slack behind as she entered. Her attention now focused on the darling brunette child she saw clutching a teddy bear in a small wooden rocking chair, her big brown eyes staring wide at the tall blonde woman that had just entered her room. Anya put on a big smile for the young darling, seeing the hint of a smile come back at her.

"You are simply adorable. Oh, and look at this teddy! What a darling! What is his name, sweetling?" she asked, taking a seat she assumed the woman before her had vacated. The young girl smiled, blushing a little at the woman who complimented her teddy bear after just seeing him once.

"His name's Cinnamon," she said in a small voice. Success! Three words so far and she hadn't been in the room for five minutes!

"That's a wonderful name. My name's Anya, Mr. Cinnamon. And what's your lady's name?" Anya simply oozed cheeriness, allowing her whole being to radiate friendliness and comfort so that the poor dear could open up to her. It did seem to be working marvelously.

"Ruby," the tiny voice said, her volume strengthening as the energy from Anya infiltrated her body, making her comfortable with this woman.

"Oh, that is a beautiful name, Miss Ruby! And I must say I do enjoy this room, dear. It's so snug and comforting. And I bet Mr. Cinnamon is a wonderful friend too, huh?" The little girl nodded. Anya smiled. "Especially today, right?" Another small nod, the smile flickering away from the child's face. Anya's tone became softer, tender, almost as if her voice were caressing the child comfortingly as a mother would. "I'm sure you're wondering why there are so many people in your house today, hmm?" she asked slowly, keeping eye contact with the child. Ruby's eyes filled with tears and she clung to her teddy.

"Because Mummy and Papa are in Heaven now," she whimpered, the first large tear dripping down her face.

"Oh, darling, I am so sorry." Anya launched from her chair toward the child and wrapped her arms around her, letting the poor darling cry into her shoulder. She let the child sob and cry herself out, wondering if the poor thing had been allowed to do just that before she had had a trio of eager officers bearing down on her, hammering her tiny mind for a statement of events.

She sat back once the child's crying had tapered off and wiped the sticky tears from her face with a stray handkerchief she found the child clutching beneath her teddy. "There, now, do you feel a little better?" Little Ruby nodded, sitting back in her chair with Cinnnamon clutched to her harder than before. Anya smiled again.

"Very good. Crying helps out very much, dear, don't let anyone tell you differently. It is always OK to cry," she said, receiving a small nod in return. Her tone softened again as she continued to try and coax a statement from the girl.

"Yes, sweetling, Mummy and Papa are in Heaven now. And the police are here to find out how that happened. Now, do you know anything that can help them, dear?" Ruby stared at her and seemed to think about what she should say. Finally she shrugged.

"I don't know, really. I'm not sure I know."

"That's all right, dear. Any little detail helps the police. How about you tell me all you can remember from last night, OK?" Ruby looked away, clutching Cinnamon to herself.

"I don't know. Cinnamon says I shouldn't." Anya managed to smile and she cupped the child's face in her hands.

"I understand, darling. Maybe you can ask Cinnamon again and see what he says? Can you ask him if you can tell me what happened?" Ruby smiled and nodded. She pointed to the far side of the room.

"Wait over there. Cinnamon doesn't like it when people watch us talk." Anya ruffled the girl's hair and stood, walking over to the corner she was directed to and standing with her back to the young girl. She heard the whispered conversation taking place behind her but she was determined not to turn around until summoned, allowing herself to be ordered around to gain the girl's trust. She must not punish the child for speaking with her teddy, not after such a trauma. She didn't see how it was wrong anyway for a child to have a companion in her teddy.

"Miss Anya, we're done talking." Anya turned and smiled at Ruby, walking briskly back to her chair.

"And what does Mr. Cinnamon have to say, Ruby? Are you allowed to talk to me?" Ruby smiled and nodded.

"Yes, he says I can trust you. He says that you're a nice lady, not like those other police ladies. They weren't very nice."

"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that, dear. Thank you Mr. Cinnamon for letting her speak." She nodded to the bear, feeling only slightly silly to be doing so. Her eyes found the girl's doe-brown ones, and she locked their eyes together, continuing to send her friendly, comforting energy to the girl in heavy waves.

"Now, dear, I know this is going to be hard for you, but can you tell me what you saw last night? Take your time now, I won't rush you. I'll sit right here and listen attentively." Ruby nodded, hiding half her face behind Cinnamon as she gathered the courage to begin. The room was silent and Anya kept her mouth shut and a smile on her lips, her body still as she kept her concentration.

Then suddenly Ruby started talking, rambling on and on about how her mother had sent her to bed early because she refused to eat her dinner since Ruby insisted the cook was trying to poison her with under-cooked chicken. She stormed around her room and shouted at her mother before she resolved to wash up and go to bed. Hours later she heard her parents arguing before they went to bed themselves.

As the child spoke, Anya was suddenly alerted to the presence of Slack as he walked up to the door to check on her progress. ~_No, Inspector!_~ she thought-sent, her tone sharper than she meant it. She heard a sort of stumble outside the door and felt the confusion coming from the man.

~_Anya? What is it?_~

~_She's talking, Inspector, telling me everything. She should be done soon. Once she has finished I will convince her to come and speak with you. I will need to be in the room while she does though, or I'm afraid it will not work_.~

~_Excellent. Good job, Anya. I appreciate your effort. You'll find me downstairs_.~ He moved to leave when she stopped him, half her attention still on the speaking child.

~_Did you speak with that woman yet?_~ she teased lightly.

~_What? No, I did not. I will not waste my time chasing after a woman because you told me she fancies me._~ She laughed.

~_A pity, Inspector. I think you two would make a handsome couple._~ She heard him grunt through the door before he turned and walked off. She once again turned all of her attention on the child, questioning her gently when she stopped mid-sentence while describing noises she heard in her parents' bedroom.

A few minutes later, Anya had her statement from the child and was giving her high praise for cooperating with her. "You were very brave, darling. Now, can you be even braver for me?" Ruby nodded, anxious to please this woman who made her feel so good about herself. "Can you tell your story to one more person? His name is Inspector Slack, and he may look scary at first, but I promise you that he is a very nice man and that all he wants to do is help you, all right?" Ruby nodded slowly, suddenly not sure of what she had agreed to.

"Will you be with me?" she asked innocently, turning her large, adorable brown eyes on Anya. She leaned forward and ruffled the girl's hair.

"I most certainly will, dear. It will be just like this, except Inspector Slack will be sitting right next to me, all right? Do you think you can do that?" she asked. Ruby nodded.

"Yes, ma'am. And Cinnamon can come too?" Anya nodded.

"Yes, Cinnamon will always stay with you, dear. Come now, are you ready? Here, take my hand and let's walk down together." Ruby clutched her hand as the two made their way to the door. Just as they walked out, Anya looked up to see Inspector Slack standing with his arms folded on the stairs, waiting for them impatiently.

"Ah, that was quick. Well done, Anya. I decided to wait up here for you instead of going back down just yet," he said to her raised eye brow. He turned his attention to Ruby then, and leaned over so that he was looking directly at her. "Now, miss, are you ready to speak with me?" he asked, putting on his best face for the child. Ruby half-hid herself behind Anya and she laughed, patting the child on the head.

"It's all right, dear, I told you. He may look scary but he is a nice man, I promise."

"I most certainly do not look scary!" he barked suddenly, his face screwing up into a mask of outrage at her statement.

"You do, Inspector. Now stop scaring the poor child!" He changed his expression at once, seeing the impact it had on the girl, and gave Anya an exasperated look.

"Really," he sighed, turning and making his way down the stairs. Anya giggled as she moved to follow, keeping little Ruby's hand in hers as they made their way down as well. Ruby stuck close to Anya's side as she weaved her way through all the people in the hallway. Anya followed Slack into the interrogation room which had been cleared of everyone until after the girl's statement was taken. Slack pulled up three chairs, placing two together and one in front of the others. When Ruby saw what he had in mind she clung even harder to Anya's side, making it difficult for her to move.

"Very well. Inspector Slack will take the seat opposite us, all right? I will sit next to you, Ruby. You don't mind that do you, Inspector?" she asked. He shook his head and took the solitary chair while Anya sat down beside the little girl, allowing her to cling to her hand, Cinnamon hanging in a bone-crushing hug in the other arm. Slack managed to smile at the girl, which allowed her to loosen somewhat, and then began his questions, keeping his voice gentle and his tone light.

Whenever he seemed to get carried away in his questions, Anya would sharply remind him to keep calm and remember who he was talking to. He found her interruptions rather officious and mother-like, but he endured them as, because of her, he was actually getting a statement from the little girl of the events that had happened the previous night when her parents were mercilessly poisoned.

"So, did you know this person that came out of your parents' bedroom after the strange noises had stopped?" Slack asked as he slowly brought the interrogation to the final stretch. Ruby shook her head.

"I thought it was Josephine coming to check on me, so I pretended to be asleep but she never came in."

"And what made you think that it was Josephine walking by?" Slack sat back in his chair, uncrossing his leg to let circulation back into it.

"Well, it sounded like her shoes. She always did have a funny way of walking. She sort of shuffled instead of picking up her feet. But the person outside my door didn't shuffle, and so I knew it wasn't Josephine."

"Could you tell if it was a man or a woman?" Ruby looked to Anya for comfort and the blonde patted her hand, smiling encouragingly to her.

"Go on, dear." The child nodded and looked back to Slack.

"I think it sounded like a woman. The butler stomps a lot, so you can usually tell if it's him coming down a hall."

"But the person outside your door didn't stomp. And that's what makes you think it was a woman?" Ruby nodded.

~_A female suspect, then_,~ Anya said. Slack looked at her and nodded.

~_It does seem that way. At least that'll narrow down the search. I know at least one of the servants was away for two days tending a sick mother, so she's off the list_.~ He looked up to smile at Ruby. "Thank you, miss Ruby. You have been very helpful tonight. I'm sure you're hungry, so why don't you go and get some dinner now, eh?" He stood then, towering over the little girl, and she suddenly seemed very afraid of him once more.

"Come now, Ruby, let's go find a maid to bring you some dinner, what do you say?" Anya quickly jumped to the rescue, ushering the little girl out of the room and in the direction of the dining hall. She found a maid to take the child to the hall and get her some food.

"Aren't you coming, miss?" Ruby called back to her.

"I'm sorry, darling, but I must help Inspector Slack now. You understand, I'm sure?" The girl smiled and nodded her understanding. "You take good care of Cinnamon now, and make sure he gets his fill of dinner too, all right?" Ruby ensured her emphatically that she would take good care of Cinnamon, and hurried off to do just that.

Anya made her way back to where Slack was poring over his notes, attempting to crack this case here and now. "I just don't know, Lake. Who stood to gain here?" He turned and, seeing that it was Anya, instead turned the conversation toward her.

"I can't understand this, Anya. Why should one of the servants wish to kill their master and mistress? There is no monetary motive here, none at all. A woman scorned, perhaps? The master was having an affair with a maid, ended it, and she took her revenge on both of them?" He sat down heavily in his chair with a sigh.

"It is a possibility," she acknowledged, attempting to make him feel at least a little better. "How many people can be crossed off the list of suspects?"

"Two. The butler and the one maid who was gone for two days. That leaves at least fifteen maids and cooks' help, and we've interviewed them all already."

"Did anyone in particular stand out?"

"No, not at all. And Miss Marple doesn't have any new ideas either. Though she was mentioning something about a thieving maid in the town some years ago, I don't know. I can never make out that old woman when she goes on about the villagefolk."

"That is where she gets her references from, you know, Inspector. She links suspects with people she's known in the town, and gets her understanding of life from the different personalities she has witnessed over the years. Rather remarkable, I'd say." He grunted, sifting through his notes once more, only half-listening to what she was telling him. She sighed and sat down in the chair she had previously vacated. She found herself watching him as he poured over his notes, noting this and that and marking things that linked together, muttering to himself the whole while.

When he threw up his hands and rubbed his temples he finally noticed that Anya hadn't left him. "What is it?" he asked, continuing his attentions to his temples. She screwed up her brow with worry, noticing the bags under his eyes that were suddenly very prominent.

"You've been avoiding sleep, Inspector," she stated softly. He glanced from his notes to her and then back again.

"Why do you say that?"

"You're very tired, Inspector, anyone can see that. You must not let your work deprive you of sleep. That would be counterproductive, you know."

"I know exactly what I need and when I need it, thank you. Right now I am focused on this case so that it can be solved as quickly as possible."

"You have been lucky so far, Inspector, but not all cases are solved in a day. Take your notes with you if you must , but I insist that you let this lie and get some sleep. Tackle this problem again tomorrow when you are fresh again. We overcame a huge obstacle today by getting Ruby's statement and narrowing down the suspect list, yes?" He nodded reluctantly. "Then please, leave the grunt work til tomorrow. I promise to come back with you to sit through interrogations. All day, if I have to. I know your work is important to you and that you want to find this murderer, but killing yourself in the process will help no one," she reasoned.

He sighed heavily, seeing reason in her words and yet not wishing to leave the premises when he was so close that he could taste it. "Very well." He stood then and gathered his notes together into a portfolio. "Lake!" he bellowed, hurrying the sergeant's entrance into the room. "Gather everything for the night. We'll summon people to headquarters tomorrow for interrogations. I want a watch posted all night. Make sure no one leaves the premises and arrest them if they do." Lake nodded and hurried off to relay the Chief Inspector's orders.

Anya stood to help put the room back in order, moving chairs back and then helping Slack gather up paperwork to put into folders for processing. The two of them suddenly bumped shoulders while unconsciously reaching for the same paper and exchanged apologies quickly, Anya laughing nervously at the fact. She set back to work again until she noticed that Slack hadn't moved.

"Anya?" She looked up at him, her eyes posing a question. Slack looked nervous, shifting his feet before he began. "I wanted to thank you for getting Ruby to speak to me. It was excellent work and I do appreciate it." She beamed at him and he felt his chest tighten for an instant.

"Of course, Inspector. It was my pleasure. She is a darling girl once you get to know her. And her teddy bear Cinnamon is quite adorable too." Now, he didn't know what to say to that! Who was this strange, mysterious girl he had come to know just three days ago? It seemed that she had been with him all his life at this point, interrupting him, irritating him, surprising him, teasing him, talking to him through his mind. Why was she here? How long would she stay? And if she went, how would he feel about that? Did he even want her to go? He could not answer these questions now, and wondered suddenly if she could read his mind and see these questions running through it? He studied her briefly as she set to work sorting papers again but found no sign that she had been snooping in his head.

Before he could think of anything else to say, she spoke up. "Perhaps tomorrow, if we manage to finish the interrogations early, I wonder if you might like to have tea with Aunt Jane and I? We could talk about the case some more if you wish, or speak on another subject for a change to give all of our minds a rest. What do you think?" She glanced at him, catching his eye before quickly lowering her gaze once more, and he realized suddenly that she was blushing!

"I think I would like that," he found himself saying, not knowing why he did. He saw her smile out of the corner of his eyes.

"Very well then. I shall tell Aunt Jane once we are finished in here."

It did not take them long to finish, and then they separated as Anya set off to tell Aunt Jane about their new appointment and Slack set about arranging the clean up in the rest of the house. Anya found Marple in the library, having tea with a few of the women in the police force. She smiled when she saw Anya come in, and the women finished their tea and left quite suddenly as the shouts from Slack rose in volume behind them. Anya flinched and smiled back at Aunt Jane, rushing to her side to tell her of her invitation to the Inspector to take tea with them tomorrow.

"Oh, how nice of you to offer, Anya. Yes, of course he can come. The both of you will be exhausted from your questioning to want to talk much once you are comfortable though, I imagine. But I am very glad he accepted, dear, very glad indeed. Do you like him very much, dear?" It was a sudden question, one she had not given much thought to.

"I do like him, Aunt Jane. But right now I believe it is in the beginning stages yet. I do not know what his feelings are or if he even has any for me. I do not even know if it is right for me to have such feelings for my human, as it might affect my protecting him. What do you think?"

"I think love is the greatest thing we can fight for on this Earth, Anya. If you cannot fight for love, then what do you have? I believe that if you do find you love him, then you will be a great force to be reckoned with by anyone who would wish him harm." Anya smiled, thinking that was the truest thing she had ever heard.

She sat and nibbled on a biscuit while Aunt Jane bounced ideas off of her about the case, pleased and most interested to hear the account the little girl had to tell of the sounds she had heard in the night. "A woman? Yes, perhaps. Very doable for a woman, I believe." Anya let her ramble, knowing the old woman would come out with her meaning when she was ready. She had to first establish what she meant to herself.

Slack entered the library in what seemed like hours later, apologizing for the time delay. "Lake and I will drop you at your house before we head on," he announced, and both women expressed their gratitude. They headed for the front door, gathering their coats and gloves from the butler before exiting from the large manor house, leaving behind the little girl Anya had developed a remarkable bond with. She was sorry to go. Slack ushered her into the car, remarking sharply that she would catch her death of cold if she did not hurry. She gave him a winning smile that silenced him in an instant, and got into the car to keep him from standing there sputtering all the while.

The drive home was as unremarkable as it was coming to the house. The four companions stayed silent for most of the time, remarking only hesitantly on the events of that day, no one really wishing to continue speaking of the case now that they were heading to a warm bed and sleep that would take their cares away. It seemed to take no time at all to get back to the house, and Slack once again was there to open the car door for Anya to get out. Marple was already up and heading for the inviting warmth of her house as Anya was saying her good nights to Slack and Lake.

She turned to head for the house herself when she suddenly felt a slight pull on her coat sleeve and Slack's voice softly calling her name. She stopped and turned back to him, wondering what it could be that he had to say. He looked everywhere but at her for a moment as he gathered himself before saying the most surprising thing yet.

"If you wish, Anya, you may call me 'Slack' from now on. Not Inspector anymore. I would give you my first name, but no one calls me by that anyway. My surname is what people use who know me well." He stopped, shuffling his feet slightly. "I believe you said earlier that we have developed a rather informal relationship now, so I will answer to that name from now on," he declared, thoroughly astonishing her into silence. She did not know what to say and stood dumbstruck for what felt like forever.

Finally she pulled herself together and gave him another smile. "I thank you very much for this change, Slack. It pleases me greatly. I shall see you tomorrow at the interrogations and then for tea afterward. Goodnight, Slack." It felt strange to utter that name now, she thought as she turned and walked away, hearing his goodnight before his car door slammed shut. She heard him bark an order to Lake and the car sped off, making her laugh. Her address to him may have changed, but nothing else certainly had.

She hurried into the house to tell Aunt Jane about the newest happening, her laugh echoing through the village.

**Thank you everyone who has read my story so far! Please leave me reviews if you feel the need, I do enjoy feedback of any kind as long as it's respectful. I hope to have the next chapter up soon and then another will follow that within a week or two. Enjoy!**


	5. Chapter 5

**New chapter is now up! Please leave me reviews and, as always, do enjoy!**

The following day was hectic but boring in its own way. Anya and Slack were in the county police department all day, stuck in a stuffy white room interviewing witnesses, only stopping once for a short break for tea and a few sandwiches before they were at it again. Fifteen witnesses were interviewed that day. It was nearly dinner time when the last maid was re-examined because of a slight lie she had been caught in. Anya did not know if she was suddenly failing at her lie detection or if she was just tired because none of the maids or cooks' help showed themselves to be lying through their interrogations. Even Slack looked mildly irritated by her once they had finished for the day. She supposed the murderer could be that good that she was telling the truth the whole time, only leaving those bits out which incriminated her.

Anya was forced to conclude that nothing but the best police work was what was going to solve this case. Slack got up to get a drink of water once the last suspect had left, and Anya sighed and leaned on the table, resting her head on her arms in defeat. She closed her eyes as her thoughts began their incessant circle. Had she missed something? Were her senses failing her today? She couldn't help but think that somehow it was her fault that all of the interrogations seemed to flop. Oh dear, she still had to sit through tea with Slack today as well. How would that go over? she wondered. Perhaps Aunt Jane will have come up with a brilliant deduction by the time they got there, she mused.

Slack entered the room again with a glass of water for Anya and found her with eyes closed in her resting position. He moved silently toward her and placed the cup down gently by her head, not wishing to disturb her. He turned then and headed back toward the door, intending to pour over his notes once more and bounce ideas off of Lake.

~_I'm sorry I failed you, Slack_.~ The sudden voice in his head made him jump and nearly stumble into the doorframe. He turned to see Anya's eyes on him.

"I don't know what's wrong with me today," she said aloud, sitting up from her position as she rubbed the back of her head in irritation. She stopped as she glanced at the glass. "Thanks for the water." She drank a few sips and placed it back on the table.

"You didn't fail me," he said, leaning against the doorframe. "We just have to bag this case with hard evidence this time, that's all." She smiled at him, making his chest tighten the way it did now whenever she turned a smile toward him. What was wrong with him? he wondered. He couldn't be-? Of course not! He shuddered to think of such a thing. He would not let himself do that sort of thing again. To ensure that, he made a sudden decision.

"I'm afraid that with this change of events I won't be able to make it for tea," he said, watching her carefully to see her reaction. He saw her hand tighten around the glass of water and then slowly relax. Otherwise her demeanor didn't change. She bravely put on a smile for him.

"Of course, Slack, I understand. It was probably wrong of me to ask you to such a thing on a day as this when I knew how it could be. Please, don't worry about it. Perhaps we'll do it another time." She stood then, her eyes pointed at her feet as she moved to the door, and he knew instantly that he had hurt her. He opened his mouth to take it back, to say that he would come, that he should like to, it would be best to consult with Miss Marple anyway, but he couldn't find the words. And in the course of his struggle, she passed him by and was out the door, saying a quick goodbye before she was gone.

He sighed heavily, covering his face with one hand. What had he done? He had just ruined something special, he sensed, but he didn't know how to go about fixing it. What should he do? What _could_ he do? Should he follow her? Should he tell her that he was sorry and foolish and tell her to forget about what he had said?

Another side of him spoke then, the side he usually listened to. Why should he care about such a thing? He was just canceling an appointment for tea, not a wedding. Besides, he was bound to need her help again soon, and so would see her again. It wasn't like this was to be their last meeting, and he could always reschedule if he decided he really wished to spend more time with her.

"Inspector Slack? There's someone here for you about the autopsy reports."

He would decide what to do later. There were more important things for his mind to deal with at the present.

She was back at Aunt Jane's place before she knew it. She made her way up to the door when she stopped, her hand poised just above the handle. No, perhaps she was not quite in the mood to face Aunt Jane's knowing eyes at the moment. She sighed and turned then, walking briskly back down the short path to the road, side-stepping lightly to avoid a car moving exceptionally fast for its surroundings. She found that her feet did not want a leisurely stroll but that they were in the mood for a more vigorous exercise, one that would tire her and allow her to bring her thoughts away from the man she had left just a short while ago. She found herself straying from the road then, heading toward Gossington Hall, once home to a dear friend of Aunt Jane's, a Mrs. Dolly Bantry: a woman Anya had yet to meet. The woman moved to Gossington Lodge after her husband Arthur died whilst the larger Hall had been sold to a famous movie star named Marina Gregg who had taken her own life just half a year ago amidst two murders she had committed.

Gossington Hall, Anya understood, was set in the middle of a large expanse of woods that Anya suddenly wished to go for a stroll through. Perhaps she would leave her handbag and shift forms to fly for a while. She felt she had to do something strenuous in order to feel better before she could go back to the prying eyes of Aunt Jane. The old woman would pester her mercilessly in order to understand what on Earth would have changed the Inspector's mind to keep him from the person, the old woman mused, who was his newfound lover.

Anya sighed, hurrying from the thinning road into the stand of trees beyond on Gossington Hall property. A few yards in, Anya deposited her coat, gloves and handbag, making sure they were covered well in the case of any passersby in this area. It would be rather cold in the higher atmosphere, but that may be just the thing she needed to refresh her spirits, she mused as she moved to shift forms, launching herself effortlessly from the ground. Her wings seemed eager today, willing her to fly higher and further than she had since she had arrived on Earth. She passed by a murder of crows, the birds watching her curiously, not making a sound as they watched her pass by swiftly, the angel never pausing to look around her.

She was flying so fast that the wind made her eyes begin to tear up and goosebumps to crawl up her arms. Were the tears dripping down her face only from the wind or also a reaction to what had happened earlier? No, her emotions were not that involved, she found. She had been hurt, yes, more so than she would admit to anyone, but she did not think that Slack's cancellation had affected her quite that much. She would see him again. There was bound to be another interrogation, another child who wouldn't speak unless befriended, another tea date to set….

She had let herself go on thinking for so long that she realized with a start that her wings had taken her well past St. Mary Mead. She was now in a whole other village, one she didn't recognize at all.

"Oh dear," she said, banking to the right in an effort to turn around. It was well past lunch time when she had left the police station, and now it was close to dinner time, the sun moving to drop to the other side of the world as the Earth continued its ceaseless rotation. It would be dark in another hour and she still had to get back to her things and then to Aunt Jane's house! She could not fly as fast as she had earlier but in no way was she slow as she raced back to the spot where she had hidden her few possessions. It would not do to worry Aunt Jane as the old woman did not have as strong a constitution as she used to.

She returned to her belongings and was setting off down the road on foot to return to Aunt Jane's house just as the sun was putting on a most spectacular display of colors across the sky. She buttoned her coat and slipped on her gloves slowly as she marveled at the changing of the sky. It seemed that in no time at all the sun was lost behind the trees, sinking lower and lower, the shadows stretching to ease their long fingers as first twilight and then the night slowly rolled over the land. All too soon it was getting rather dark and Anya could barely see anything.

She turned from her spot and began walking briskly down the road then, intent on reaching Aunt Jane's house before the woman sent a search party for her. She had just passed the first darkened shop when a car coming toward her suddenly slowed as the headlights caught her in their glare. She shielded her eyes, stopping abruptly on the side of the road. Her muscles tightened and her hands clenched into fists, her body moving to a defensive position as the car screeched to a halt and the passenger side door flew open.

"Anya!" She sighed loudly, relaxing her body as Slack trotted up to her from the side of the car. He crossed in front of the headlights as the driver opened the door. Lake, presumably, was poking his curly head out to see if she was all right. Slack halted in front of her, suddenly at a loss for words at finally finding her.

"Well, you gave me a fright!" she snapped impulsively. "For Heaven's sake, what are you doing out here?" she asked, looking past him to the car.

"We were looking for you! Miss Marple called the station about an hour after you left and asked if we were still interrogating people. I told her you had gone home but she said you hadn't turned up yet, and asked me to look for you. Where have you been?" he snapped right back, irritated despite himself upon hearing her sharp address.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Now, I am fine as you can see, and am heading back to Aunt Jane's place now. Thank you for looking for me. I must go now." She excused herself rather brusquely, side-stepping him quickly in an effort to hurry her journey. A sudden hand on her coat sleeve prevented her from continuing.

"Anya, I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have canceled on you last minute like that. I know that you're still angry with me, but will you permit us to at least give you a lift home?" Slack kept his tone light in view of the circumstances, attempting to persuade rather than force her. He heard her sigh but in an instant knew that his apology would not be the thing that would allow her to forgive him. She turned her head sharply to look at him but her face was in shadows at that angle and he could not see her expression.

"Thank you for the offer but I must decline. It is not far for me to walk and I can take care of myself despite what you may still think. Now, if you'll excuse me. Goodnight, Inspector." He let go of her sleeve more in surprise than anything else as he caught her abrupt referral back to his title. Oh, she was still very angry with him! As she passed the car, she heard Lake asking her if she was sure she didn't want a lift, and her demeanor completely changed as she smiled and thanked him while graciously declining. And then she was gone, her heels clicking away on the pavement rapidly, the speed of her walk emphasizing her anger.

Slack stalked back to the car, inwardly fuming at how the events of the night had played out. He slammed the passenger door shut and sat in silence for a few minutes. The silence, more than anything, did more to frighten Sergeant Lake than any raging Inspector Slack could do to him would. This was something Lake had never witnessed before in the Chief Inspector. Silence was not a part of the Inspector's life, not unless he was brooding over a case. If he wasn't barking at someone for something, then there was something wrong. Lake hated seeing him like this. Why did he cancel on Miss Anya in the first place? Why would anyone cancel on a woman like that?! If Lake didn't have a family, _he_ would be courting the woman behind the Inspector's back for Heaven's sake! Lake looked in the rear view mirror to see Anya turning a corner and walking briskly out of sight. He had no doubt that that woman could take care of herself. He had noticed the way she had pulled herself into a defensive position as soon as the car stopped.

Slack's sudden barking order pulled Lake from his reverie and he jumped into action, continuing the drive down the road as if nothing had happened.

Anya found herself back at Aunt Jane's house quicker than she had imagined, and the old woman was overjoyed to see her home again. She fretted and waggled a thin finger at her while she stripped off her coat and gloves.

"Aunt Jane, I am perfectly all right. Why did you send Slack to look for me? You needn't have worried! You know I can take care of myself!" She controlled the level of her voice as she realized it had risen with every sentence. The bewildered look on the old woman's face made her sigh. "I'm sorry, I've had a rather rough day. I shouldn't have gone off like that without telling you either. I just wanted to be alone for a bit and gather my thoughts."

"Apparently you had many to gather! Why weren't you and Inspector Slack here for tea? Why did you leave him at the police station and go off to be alone in the first place?" the woman probed, leading Anya forcibly by the arm into the sitting room. Anya fell heavily into her chair as Aunt Jane summoned Bessie to make some quick sandwiches and bring tea. "You haven't eaten all day, my dear. The Inspector told me. So you will sit there and eat until I am satisfied that you are full," she said to Anya's protest. The angel surrendered, leaning back in the chair as she rubbed her temples gently. "Now, tell me what happened today and leave nothing out," Aunt Jane demanded.

And so Anya related all the happenings of that day to the old woman, telling her of the failures in the interrogation room, how Slack had suddenly canceled their tea date, and how she had left him shortly after and gone off to the woods behind Gossington Hall for a fly. She told her of the Inspector's car when he and Lake finally found her, and of what she had said to Slack. As she repeated the events, Anya found that she was quite ashamed at how she had received Slack when he and Lake had been looking for her for hours. She would have to do something. She may have been angry with him for earlier, but the fact that he had spent hours looking for her should have been enough to make it up to her. Her countenance relaxed then as she felt at ease with this realization, finding that she could very well forgive him now as she should have before.

"I have been very foolish I realize now, Aunt Jane. He shall be angry with me, I think. I treated him terribly. I must make this up to him, and Sergeant Lake as well. They both took precious time out of their day to look for me and I repaid them with anger and unkindness." She sighed. "I am a very poor example of an angel, aren't I?" The old woman smiled, pleased with this understanding the blonde had come to on her own.

"You were a poor example of an angel a moment ago, dear, but now I believe you have grown within the last hour. You must show the Inspector how much you have grown, as well, and he will be sure to forgive you." The abrupt honesty from the old woman surprised Anya, and yet she felt better about herself than she had all day with that one simple statement. She nodded in response and set to eating all of the sandwiches that Bessie put in front of her with a hunger she didn't know she had.

Once she had finished, the two women relaxed in the small sitting room sipping on tea, each thinking their own thoughts until Anya finally spoke. "What can I possibly do to make this up to the both of them, Aunt Jane? I can think of nothing that even comes close to the selflessness they showed me." She shook her head vigorously, hoping some brilliant answer would show itself to her.

"Invite them to tea, dear." Anya looked up, puzzled.

"What? To tea? How could that possibly-?" Aunt Jane's eyes pierced her own, silencing her as quickly if she had shouted.

"You will walk to the police station tomorrow and leave a note inviting the both of them to afternoon tea. Once they have come and you have given them your apologies, I will proceed to solve this puzzling case for them." Her eyes snapped back to the fire in the hearth and Anya saw the faintest of smiles on her face.

"Oh, Aunt Jane, you wonderful creature!" Anya set her tea cup down carefully and rushed to hug the old woman, shocking an "Oh!" from her as she suddenly laughed at the angel's enthusiasm.

"Wonderful, no, dear. But I might as well make it worth their while to come here other than to hear your apology, shouldn't I? I think the combination will put them in a greater mood than one or the other ever could, don't you think so?" Anya laughed aloud.

"Oh, I very much think so! You clever, clever woman, Aunt Jane! I knew you would figure this one out as well: you can never fail no matter what case is thrown at you!" The old woman smiled, clearly enjoying the praise the young angel was giving her.

"You are a darling. Now, finish your tea and get some rest. You have an important task tomorrow." The angel nodded fervently, gulping the rest of her tea down before hurrying upstairs to change into her nightgown. Oh, what a day! To think a day that started out so negatively could end so happily! Anya found it very difficult to relax that night but eventually sleep did claim her.

She was awake nearly before Aunt Jane and was dressing into one of her new gowns, the deep purple one that hugged her figure from the waist up and splayed rather prettily like a flower's petals on down to her calves. She ate her breakfast as quickly as her stomach could handle and then scribbled a note to be delivered to the two officers before heading out the door, Aunt Jane smiling after her.

If she had been of a mind to, Anya would have run the whole way to the station but she allowed the walk to calm her nerves so that she may enter the station without cause for embarrassment. She wouldn't want it reported that a crazy woman had come in carrying a note for the Chief Inspector and his Sergeant, would she? She giggled at the thought, stifling her laugh with a hand as her eyes caught two ladies walking by. They looked at her strangely but once she shouted a merry "Good morning!" and walked on, the women soon forgot it and simply marveled at how cheery that young woman was!

Even after forcing herself to walk slowly it seemed to take a shorter time than she anticipated for her to reach the station. She looked around as she entered, hoping for the first time not to see Slack and Lake in order to make the surprise that much more enticing. She entered the station quickly, keeping her eyes peeled for the two men, and walked straight up to the front desk, handing the note over quickly to one of the receptionists.

"Ma'am, I have a request. This note is for Chief Inspector Slack's eyes only. Please give it to him as soon as you see him," she instructed carefully, making sure there was no mistake as to who the note was for. She met the woman's eyes squarely and the receptionist nodded, repeating her orders to Anya's satisfaction. "Thank you very much," she said, turning abruptly to leave.

She was out of the precinct and across the street without an incident when she heard the tell-tale voice of Slack barking at someone, and looked to see his car pull up and park. She watched the older man jump out first, his suit trim and perfect as ever as he took the stairs two at a time into the station. Lake quickly jumped out after him and raced up the stairs, nearly forgetting to turn the car off in his haste. She moved down the street, nearly out of sight of the front doors, but suddenly found herself holding back as if waiting for something.

Less than a minute later she saw Slack dart back out the front doors, looking left and right wildly, her note clenched in his hand. Anya smiled and, like magic, his eyes turned directly toward hers. They were both caught in each others gaze for a moment before he opened his mouth to call her name, the hand holding the note rising in what seemed like slow motion. She lifted her hand in a small wave then suddenly shifted forms, disappearing right in front of his eyes. She watched from her same position as he jumped, startled, looking left and right again for her.

~_Don't cancel this time!_~ she laughed in his mind and spread her wings, flying back the way she had come to Aunt Jane's house to prepare for the afternoon meeting, leaving a dumbstruck Slack behind.

The clock on the wall seemed to jumped forward an hour every time she watched it as Aunt Jane and she hurried to make the house look presentable, something that did not take very long at all. Soon Aunt Jane gave instructions to Bessie for what was to be made for tea time and went into the backyard to do some gardening, passing the time as only she enjoyed doing. Anya was left in the house to find something to do for the next few hours. She sat in a corner and snatched a book from one of Aunt Jane's shelves, a mystery novel that Aunt Jane had read dozens of times and seemed to never tire of. She managed to read the first few sentences before her mind began to wander and her heart to beat faster, wondering if Slack would actually come this time or if he would blow it off again. He certainly seemed like he had wanted to find her that morning, she mused. It was rather fun teasing him like that, though she did realistically hope that there would come a time where a stunt like that would not work. That would be the day he actually believed her tale.

Leaving the book on the arm of the chair as a hopeless cause, she walked outside to join Aunt Jane in the backyard, reclining in one of the old woman's comfortable wicker chairs. She leaned back, allowing the sun to bathe her in its warm light, a slight breeze ruffling her hair cooling her to prevent the sun's rays becoming uncomfortable. Spring was on its way, she mused. The last week had been mildly comfortable during the day and bitterly cold at night, but the weather seemed to have taken a turn for the better. She closed her eyes, allowing her thoughts to drift and for her body to relax. She must think about what she had to say to the two once they arrived, and how she could best convince them of her sincerity. Her thoughts shifted then to Aunt Jane and how she could have figured out this confusing case in such a short time without seeing Slack or anyone from the police in days to give her updates. Anya hoped that she was actually right in her prediction. Well, she had no reason to doubt such a clever woman, did she?

She must have actually drifted off for a while because suddenly Bessie was shouting something to Aunt Jane and shaking Anya's arm to wake her. "Miss, miss, come quickly! The Inspector and Sergeant have just pulled up outside!" Anya's eyes flew open and she hurried to her feet, quickly glancing down to make sure her appearance hadn't been altered too much. She smoothed her dress and asked Bessie to check her hair. Bessie quickly took out her long tail and put it back the way it was, smoothing a few stray strands she found just as the doorbell rang.

"Go, Bessie, quickly!" Anya ushered her to the door, turning to see Aunt Jane hurrying toward her, brushing loose soil from her hands.

"I will tell Bessie to show them out here for tea. It is such a beautiful day not to sit outside, don't you think? I must wash quickly. You may begin your apologies while I am doing that, and then I shall make my entrance to close the show, as it were," she said, patting the angel's shoulder gently before hurrying off. Anya smiled after her, inwardly thanking the woman for such a brilliant idea once more. She was sure that nothing could go wrong now that both men were here. She smoothed her dress again unconsciously, flicking off invisible dust particles as Bessie walked briskly through the open back door, Slack and Lake just behind her. Slack looked rather awkward, something she hadn't seen from him yet. Lake, however, appeared to be silently enjoying this new turn of events.

"Good afternoon," Anya said brightly, putting on a cheery smile for the both of them. Lake smiled back and hurried in front of the Inspector to take her outstretched hand, greeting her with the same amount of cheeriness. Slack's handshake was not as excitable, but he did give her a small smile that she accepted nevertheless. "Please, sit down." She motioned the both of them to take their seats and looked back at Bessie. "If you could bring tea now, Bessie, that would be wonderful," she said. The maid smiled and bowed her head slightly, hurrying off to bring the refreshments. Anya pulled up a chair and sat facing the two gentlemen. The backyard was strangely silent, the birds and other small creatures quieting as if they were eager to hear her apology as well. She would not draw this out, she told herself, and lifted her eyes to meet Slack's.

"I must apologize to the both of you for my actions last night. I was rather foolish. You must have thought me a child with the way I treated the generosity you showed by looking for me. I am heartily ashamed of myself and wished to apologize personally to both of you and to tell how very much I appreciate and thank you for your troubles. I am indebted to you both." Lake smiled while Slack only nodded in acknowledgement of her acceptance of guilt.

"You didn't have to call a meeting like this just to apologize, Miss Anya," Lake said. His smile was infectious and she felt her own lips turning up in return.

"I didn't know what I should do to make it up to the both of you. I still don't, though Aunt Jane perhaps will help with that."

"Yes, about that," Slack cut in. "The note you left said that Miss Marple had something of great importance to tell us. What is it, exactly?" Anya smiled.

"I think I shall let her do the honors. Aunt Jane?" She turned her head just as the old woman made her way slowly out the back door toward the table, Bessie on her heels with the tea and cakes.

"Thank you, dear. Yes, I believe it would be best if I told you myself," Aunt Jane said. Lake jumped to his feet and pulled out the remaining chair for the old woman, to which she graciously thanked him and sat down, gathering herself together to begin her story. Slack glanced from the old woman to Anya and saw that, with a start, she was already looking at him. She smiled briefly when he caught her staring and shifted her eyes to Aunt Jane.

~_Are we still friends?_~ The worry that he sent with his thought made her smile all the more as she glanced back at him, seeing the emotion mirroring lightly in his eyes.

~_Of course, Slack. I was hoping this meeting would restore that. I have your forgiveness, then?_~ she asked meekly, bowing her head in his direction. He nodded once, smiling briefly, and leaned back comfortably in his chair, relaxing visibly in front of her now that that necessary had been taken care of.

Aunt Jane cleared her throat, making the both of them jump before turning their attention back to her. Lake was smiling slyly beside Slack. Anya giggled before standing then to pour the tea for all. The first cup she gave to Aunt Jane, the old woman thanking her briefly, her piercing eyes shifting from one man to the other. Lake's tea was poured next and he thanked her before watching her like a hawk as she poured the third cup of tea for Slack. He took the saucer gently and their eyes suddenly locked together when their fingers brushed lightly. Anya didn't know how long they were caught staring at each other before the sharp sound of Aunt Jane clearing her throat suddenly broke the spell. The two looked away and Anya quickly poured her own cup of tea before resuming her seat, her eyes finding solace in the branches of a small shrub as her cheeks burned briefly.

Before the color had completely left her cheeks, Aunt Jane began speaking, turning the attention from the brief encounter between the two to the case she had managed to solve. "Now," she began, beckoning three pairs of eyes to hers. "The second reason why you gathered here is to hear the answers to the questions that have plagued you these past couple of days. In other words," she fixed Slack with twinkling eyes. "I have solved the case, Inspector." He sighed, placing his tea cup on the table before him.

"I had a feeling something like this would happen." He folded his arms and looked back at Aunt Jane. Lake did not seem surprised either, but in no way was he displeased.

"Please, Miss Marple. How was it done?" he asked, leaning forward eagerly in his chair. She chuckled, clearly enjoying herself in front of the two. Anya rolled her eyes, sipping at her tea. This should be an interesting story, she mused. She didn't even know the answer to the case herself as Aunt Jane would not give her any hints, saying she had to wait just like everyone else.

"Inspector, who was the maid that the young lady Ruby favored above all others?" Slack picked his cup up again, relinquishing himself to play the old woman's game.

"Her name was Holly. But how did you know that she was Ruby's favorite?" His eyes looked daggers at the old woman but she was unfazed, the smile she turned on him irritating as usual.

"I used my eyes, Inspector. You see, Holly was the only maid I witnessed the girl actually opening up and talking to beside our own dear Anya. It was very clever how you gained her friendship, dear. I am very proud of you," she aid matter-of-factly, patting Anya's hand, bringing color back to the angel's cheeks. "Now." Aunt Jane turned back to business. "Holly, you see, has a criminal background, yes?" Slack nodded, cocking an eye brow curiously. Aunt Jane nodded as if to affirm her suspicions and continued.

"You see, Inspector, Mrs. Hambledon knew of Holly's past and she was blackmailing the poor woman. Holly was waiting for a chance to kill Mrs. Hambledon and, to be sure, Mr. Hambledon as well. Holly didn't know if the wife had told her husband of her past or not, so killing the both of them would be safer, she reasoned. And, since she was close to the little girl Ruby, she must have known about the incredible fortune the girl would inherit, and so counted on the friendship she had with the girl to plan out the rest of her future.

"The cook, Mrs. Gregory, I noticed, has terrible eye sight but she appears to not have had a problem in the kitchen presumably because she knows the room so well. Her eye sight was not very much of a problem until a desperate woman handed her a bottle of poison rather than what the cook had called for, and the poor woman unknowingly put poison into the tea that was then sent up to the parents of poor little Ruby. Holly brought up the tea herself and waited outside the door to hear the last death throes of the two before she entered and stole some jewelry to make it look like a burglar who specialized in poisoning people on the side. Rather a foolish move, but there you have it." The three at the table were staring at her, dumbfounded.

"And you figured this out-?" Slack began, trying to follow the thought patterns of the old woman.

"Ah well, it came to me gradually. Things began to fit together after Sergeant Lake informed me that the maid had a criminal past and that she was close to the daughter Ruby. " She sipped her tea slowly while the three exchanged glances.

"Is that all it took for you to come to that conclusion, Aunt Jane?" Anya inquired further. The old woman looked at her.

"What, dear? Oh, well no, I had more help from Sergeant Lake on that, I must confess. I kept in contact with him the next day while you and Inspector Slack were performing your interviews all day, Anya dear." Slack and Anya looked at Lake and the sergeant smiled, embarrassed, his focus intent on his tea cup at that moment.

"And what sort of help did Sergeant Lake give to you?" Slack demanded dangerously. Aunt Jane waved off his unfounded anger.

"He simply told me of the letter that was found in Holly's room. It was not signed with any name but it let the girl know that her past was known and that she would not long be employed at the Hall. It was then that I realized that it had to be one of the Hambledons, but which one? And then Sergeant Lake was kind enough to let me know that when a writing sample from a letter that had been written by Mr. Hambledon was compared to the mystery letter, no match was found. That fact alone led me to the wife being the blackmailer. I can only assume that Holly killed Mr. Hambledon as well because she didn't want to take the chance that his wife had told him about her history."

"Once again you marvel us, Miss Marple," Slack said ruefully, finishing the last of his tea. "I must thank you for your findings. I admit that I couldn't wait to get this case over with." He glanced at Anya and she nodded in agreement. This was the first case that had seemed to divide them, and she was glad to have it over with as well.

"Oh no, Inspector. I was simply helping you for your sake as well as Anya's. This case seemed to be quite a hassle for the both of you," she said knowingly. They glanced at each other and looked away quickly.

"You are keen as always, Aunt Jane," Anya said. The old woman smiled in a teasing manner and decided to shift the subject, entering the next phase of her secret plan.

"Now that that business has been finished, why don't we talk about something more cheerful? Anya." She turned to the angel, holding her complete attention. "I have invited my nephew Durmot here next week to stay with us for a little while. He wrote to me yesterday saying that he needed a short vacation in a quiet part of the country and wondered if he could clear his head here with me. I told him of your staying with me and he seemed intrigued by you, so I thought it would be a good idea to invite him." Anya nodded, curious about this nephew of hers.

"Of course, Aunt Jane. I have no problem with that."

"Good. Now." She fixed her sharp eyes on Slack, pinning him to his chair. "Do you remember Durmot, Chief Inspector? Of course, you know him by his title as Detective Inspector Craddock, of course. You do remember his help at Gossington Hall when Marina Gregg was still alive?" Her tone was rather defensive, surprising Anya greatly. Slack nodded to Miss Marple slowly, wondering why on Earth she was bringing up such a man and why she had invited him to stay with her while Anya was present! What was this sly woman attempting to do? Anya was wondering the same thing. Of course, she had no issue with Aunt Jane inviting an actual family member to stay with her, but why was she being so open and obvious about it in front of Slack? What was she trying to accomplish? Try as she might, Anya didn't have the faintest clue.

"Yes, I remember him. He was a great help to the case, as well as yourself," Slack admitted grudgingly. Miss Marple nodded once in agreement, pleased that the Inspector could admit as much.

"You've never mentioned your nephew to me before, Aunt Jane. Is he the only one you have?"

"Oh no, dear. My other nephew is a novelist, Raymond West. You've never heard of him, dear. I do have some of his books that I'll let you read if you're so inclined, though. But Durmot, he was always a good boy. Well-mannered and soft-spoken, he quite surprised both his mother and I when he decided he wished to go into the police force, but of course it was his decision to make and the family was pleased, anyway. The last time he was here was when the movie star Marina Gregg had taken over Gossington Hall from Dolly Bantry, do you remember me telling you of that? Yes, well, shortly after that there were two murders and we didn't realize until after her suicide that it was Marina Gregg herself that had been the murderer." And so Aunt Jane related the whole case to Anya, Lake and Slack already knowing the particulars. The Inspector interjected to add a few comments of his own, but stayed rather quiet throughout the whole story, his attention directed elsewhere.

"That sounds like a fascinating case, though I am sorry for those poor women. Does Marina Gregg's husband still live there?"

"Oh yes, he is still there. He has even promised to host the annual garden party this year once again for the village, and to keep hosting it as long as he lives in honor of his wife who did so enjoy it."

"I'd love to see this place, and attend my first garden party. It sounds lovely!" Slack found he envied the younger woman's childish enthusiasm for such a thing. He did not care for such occasions himself. Lake, of course, absolutely loved the parties thrown in the village every year and said so to Anya. They both chattered on and on about what was at a garden party, what sorts of foods, music and dancing the angel would see when it finally arrived. Miss Marple and Slack sat silent, listening to the two prattle on, both envying the energies of the youth sitting in their midst.

The faint ringing of the phone suddenly caught Anya's ear and she drew the conversation to a halt as she looked through the back door. Unfortunately she could not see much in the front hall, but very faintly heard the receiver picked up mid-ring by Bessie. A few moments later the maid hurried into the backyard, informing the party that the phone call was for Inspector Slack. The Inspector excused himself and walked into the house. Anya watched him go until he was in the front hall, but she could hear no barking orders from him. Bessie hurried to clean up the tea cups and left-over cakes from the table as the three stood to their feet, sensing that their afternoon tea had drawn to an end with the phone call. Anya was the first in the house and to appear at the Inspector's elbow just as he hung up the phone. He turned to look at her.

"Lake and I are needed back at the station. Apparently the young maid Holly committed suicide just a few minutes ago and Ruby Hambledon was the one to find her." Anya gasped.

"The poor thing! I'll come with you. I really must see her, Slack." Her tone was one he found he could not argue with and so acquiesced, barking at Lake to get the car ready. Anya turned as the old woman hurried to the hall, Lake saying a hasty goodbye before he was out the front door and starting the car. "Aunt Jane, I must go-"

"Yes, dear, I heard. Go and comfort the poor child, I'm sure she's a wreck. Take care of her now, Inspector, and make sure she doesn't wander off again!" she called teasingly as the Inspector and his angel gathered their things and said rushed goodbyes to her. Anya rolled her eyes at the old woman, waggling a finger at her as she backed away through the front door that Slack was holding open. The both of them sprang into action then and Anya nearly flew into the back of the car, Slack shutting the door behind her before hastily occupying his own seat. He turned his head to look at Anya as she settled herself in.

"Are you sure you can help her? I don't think something like this will ever leave a child's mind," he said uncertainly. Truly he felt little worry for the child and more for Anya who would have to witness the girl's suffering, in which case he could be deemed a callous man. Anya shook her head soberly, her eyes glancing to the window as Lake raced the car down the street, beeping for people to get out of the way.

"I cannot make her forget, but I can help her to cope. It won't be easy, and it won't take one session for me to do this. I'll have to see her over a period of time and let her gradually come to accept and understand what she saw. Has she realized that it was Holly?" She glanced back to Slack as he shook his head. "No, I didn't think so. She was probably too shocked to pay close attention to who it was." She sighed. "I'll have to tell her, though whether it will be today or another time I won't know until I see her reaction. She is just at the age that puberty can begin and I can only imagine the confusion that she is feeling now. She is an intelligent child, though, and she does have Cinnamon."

She stared out the window again as Slack looked on, bewildered. Cinnamon? Ah yes, the teddy bear the girl clutched to her all the time. Frankly, he thought the girl was a bit too old for such things, but Anya seemed to think that it was the bear that would be the deciding factor in this matter. He turned in his seat once he realized that he would no longer be able to entice conversation from the woman, and kept his eyes ahead until they reached the station.

Anya led the small group into the station where Slack then took over and barked a question to a passing officer, asking where the girl Ruby was being kept at the moment. The man pointed to a back room and then hurried away before Slack could say anything else. Anya started for the door immediately, leaving the two men behind as she began her mission. She would be exhausted by the end of this session after giving the child so much energy.

She knocked on the door and waited for a woman to tell her to come in. She opened the door slowly, hearing the quiet sobs in the corner as she did. The woman she locked eyes with was the same one that she had taken over care of Ruby from the first time, the one who, she imagined, was madly in love with Slack and thought that Anya was trying to steal him from her. She would have laughed if the situation were not so serious. Instead, she nodded to the woman to let her know that she would be taking over, and the officer turned up her nose before stomping from the room.

"I should have known he'd want his 'psychiatrist'," she hissed, bumping Anya's shoulder as she stole out the door, leaving the angel sighing in resignation. The poor woman didn't have a clue that Slack was not the least bit interested in her.

Anya shook her head, the sobbing child stealing her attention for the moment. She must focus now and help poor little Ruby overcome the horrible scene she had just witnessed. "Ruby, dear?" she called softly, waiting for the child's permission to approach her. The girl didn't lift her head from her teddy, the poor stuffed animal soaked through with the child's tears. Anya moved forward, taking the still-warm chair the officer had just left. Her movements were soft and slow so as not to scare the child. Everything she did relayed peace and comfort as she began her slow, painstaking energy work on the child.

"Ruby, my name is Anya. Do you remember me?" she asked, her whole body shaking slightly with the force of her work. There was a pause in the sobs, a tiny hiccup, and Anya relaxed slightly as the girl slowly turned her head, her bright blue eyes shining with tears in the glaring light above them. Why they had put the poor child in an interrogation room was beyond her. Ruby was frightened enough without putting her into such a dreary, lifeless place.

"Miss Anya?" The tiny voice choked and she swallowed back more tears. The angel smiled to the child, reassuring her that this was no trick.

"I'm here, sweetling. I've come to help you." The girl got shakily to her feet and then ran to her, dropping her teddy and nearly knocking the angel from her chair with the force of her colliding with the warm body that was suddenly all around her, arms holding her tightly, a silent promise to the shaking child. Her tears came back with a vengeance and the force of her crying was enough to make Anya start to tear up. The angel slid to the floor with the little girl curled into a tight ball on her lap, her little head buried into the woman's breast, her small hands clinging to the purple dress that was rapidly becoming drenched with tears. She would sit here for as long as it took for the girl to stop crying, knowing that there could never be any true healing for her until she had first gotten all the tears and frustrations out now instead of bottling them up for a detrimental explosion later.

Ruby had been through so much that it simply broke the angel's heart to find her in this state. As shudders stole through the small body clutching her, she started rocking back and forth soothingly like a cradle, a lullaby from years back coming to the forefront of her mind. She let the words come to her mouth, singing softly as she rocked, remembering a time long ago when she was the young child lying cradled in her mother's arms as the same lullaby was sung to her.

Slowly, very slowly, the shudders subsided and the tears stopped but the angel kept the child in her arms, taking up another tune and singing that to the girl as she continued to rock. A few minutes later the girl heaved a sigh, a sound that Anya would expect to hear from an old woman like Aunt Jane, a person with many memories and past mistakes to reflect upon, not a ten year old girl who had not had the chance to begin living her life completely. A short time later Anya listened to hear the steady breathing of the girl and realized that she had cried herself to sleep in the angel's arms.

She shifted slowly, allowing her legs to be released from their cramped position as she fought to not disturb the girl. She reached out with her mind then, finding Slack in his small office, and tapped into his mind gently. ~_Slack?_~He was attentive immediately.

~_What is it?_~ he asked, looking up from his work.

~_She's sleeping now. The poor thing cried until she exhausted herself. Is there a couch or anything I can put her on so she can stay comfortable?_~

~_There's a small one in the waiting room, but that'll be too crowded._~

~_Can we move it somewhere else? Will it fit anywhere?_~ He sighed.

~_I suppose it would fit in my office. I'll tell you when it's been done._~ He severed the connection and she smiled softly. She sang the first lullaby again while she waited, her rocking softer now as the child was in a deep, refreshing sleep. She would feel much better once she woke as Anya continued to blanket her with warm energy.

Several minutes passed before Slack came into the room to tell her that the couch had been moved. He helped her get to her feet, one of her legs having fallen asleep, and helped arrange the child in her arms for her to be carried. When the child shifted they both stopped with bated breath until she settled again, their sighs of relief mingling. Anya chuckled softly at the moment as Slack looked on, his cheeks coloring before he cleared his throat and held the door open for her. She walked out into the bustling front hall of the station and hurried to Slack's office to keep the girl from waking.

Slack followed and entered just as Anya was laying the girl down softly on the couch. As she bent to loosen the girl's fingers from her shirt, Ruby's face twisted as if she would start crying again and she clung even harder to Anya's dress, pulling her down to her. Slack moved to help but Anya held up a hand to stop him. She shifted the child and lay down on the couch by her, kicking off her shoes as she got comfortable. Ruby snuggled against her once more as Anya's arms snaked back around her body, the girl's head cradled in the crook of her elbow. She laughed softly, smoothing the girl's soft brunette locks from her face.

"I'm sorry, Slack, but it seems we may both have to impose upon you," she said, smiling up at the Inspector. He cleared his throat uncomfortably and then sat back down at his desk to resume his paperwork.

"That's fine, as long as you don't start snoring." He glanced up and completely surprised her with the teasing twinkle in his eye. She smiled back.

"I'll be sure to snore as quietly as a mouse," she assured, making the corners of his mouth curl up into a brief smile. She hunkered down into the couch, her head leaning on one of the arms as she closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall off to sleep as well, resting her body from all of the energy work. Slack watched as Anya's breathing steadied and her body completely relaxed, marveling at how right she looked lying there with a young child in her arms. After a moment he mentally shook himself and managed to bring his focus back to the mountain of paperwork still on his desk that the suicide of the maid Holly had put there.

He didn't know how long he had been at it, but the opening of his office door made him jump. He turned burning eyes on poor Lake as he hurried in with news, his mouth open to speak. He stopped short as Slack barked at him in a whispered shout and it was then he saw the two asleep on the couch.

"Sir." Lake lowered his voice. "The Chief Constable is here and wants to speak with you," he reported in a whisper. Slack nodded and rose silently from his chair, stalking on cats feet to the door. "Use my office, sir. I'll stay here in case any calls come through," Lake said. Slack nodded and hurried off, closing the door quietly behind him as he rushed to see the Chief Constable. Lake took the unoccupied office chair and glanced at the two on the couch, watching the rise and fall of their bodies as both were lost in dreams. Anya did look slightly pale, which was presumably why she decided to take a nap, Lake mused. Though why the child was sleeping with her as well was beyond him. He was sure that he would be informed in due time of the situation and so he stayed silent, rocking back and forth in the chair until Slack returned to his post.

While Lake was playing with one of the Chief Inspector's pens he suddenly heard Anya suck in a deep breath of air as if in pain. His head whipped around to see her body jerk once, her face screwed up in what he thought was pain. He hurtled out of the chair toward her, his hand outstretched to wake her quickly when her eyes snapped open and found his immediately, chilling him with their intensity. She sat up, nearly dislodging the child beside her, and looked wildly around the room.

"Where is Slack?" she gasped, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

"He's talking with the Chief Constable. Miss Anya, are you all right?" She shook her head, shaking a few strands of hair from her face.

"He's nervous about something, Lake. I can feel it." Her eyes darted to the door as she sensed Slack suddenly coming toward the office quickly, and heard his voice beyond attempting to stop someone from entering though without much success. The door flew open and a hefty gray-haired man shouldered his way in, his piggy eyes falling upon Anya where she sat staring at him curiously and the small child who was slowly coming awake at all the commotion. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, gasping as Anya's arms suddenly yanked her up onto her lap as the angel glared at the older man suspiciously, seeing Slack enter after him and stand between the man and the couch.

"Ruby!" the man snapped, making the girl's eyes go wide. "Come here, child. Woman, let go of my niece!" the man bellowed, moving to step around Slack. The Inspector matched his step.

"Sir, please, I realize she is your niece, but she needs rest right now after-!"

"I don't care what you think she needs! With both my sister and her worthless husband dead, she is now my responsibility as her sole relation and godfather!" The portly man managed to knock Slack to the floor but Lake was there as a second defense as Anya stood then, hiding Ruby behind her back.

"Ruby, is this man your uncle?" Anya asked, glancing down at the little girl. Ruby looked up and nodded slowly.

"Yes, that's Uncle Harry. Mummy always said that she never wanted me with him. He was never allowed to visit the house. Mummy said he was a drunk."

"That's a lie!" the man roared, shouldering his way past Lake, shoving the younger man back into the wall. The angel heard Lake's head crack against the wall as she moved instinctively into her defensive position, glaring at this new-found threat. As the two officers struggled back to their feet, the raging uncle barreled toward Anya. He raised a hand to backhand her but she slapped it away, striking him hard in the jaw whilst side-stepping, Ruby moving with her as Anya backed her toward Slack's desk, pulling the angry man away from Lake and Slack as they readied for their second attempt. Uncle Harry was mad now at being struck, and by a woman, no less! He came at her, surprisingly agile for so big a man, and feinted to the left, catching her around the middle with his fist, folding her over in the process. He bloodied her lip with his other fist, making her head ring as he then shoved her back against the wall, nearly pinning Ruby behind her.

"Run, Ruby!" she yelled as she swiped at the man's face with her nails, making him step back uncertainly. The child did not have to be told twice and darted around the two adults toward the door, Lake right behind ushering her out. The man turned to give chase until Anya grabbed his shirt and turned him toward her, backhanding him angrily across the face and then elbowing him in the collarbone. He cried out in pain and collapsed to his knees. Head still ringing, her vision turning fuzzy from the big man's fist, Anya jumped over him in an attempt to hurry toward Slack but the man grabbed her around the legs, tripping her. She twisted in midair, shielding her head with her hands as she fell. Her hip did not fare so well and she gasped loudly as pain lanced up her body. The man was nearly on top of her before she knew it and tearing at her dress as he made his way to her face in order to bash it in. She managed to find his gut with her heel, making him grunt and fold over, allowing her to wriggle out from under him. She felt hands grabbing her under the arms and was dragged to her feet as at least a dozen officers rushed into the small office to restrain the man cursing and shrieking at the woman who had beat him so.

Her rescuer lifted her bodily into his arms and deposited her on the couch, making her hip smart in pain. He turned to call for a doctor, shouting to be heard over the raving of Uncle Harry who was now being ushered into an interrogation room that would hold him until the police were ready to deal with him. Anya leaned over and held her head in her hands, the ringing louder than before as the station turned into a madhouse, giving rise to a massive migraine that consumed her with pain. She started shuddering, blood dripping from her lips onto her new dress as the man tried to get her to lift her head to get a good look at her.

"It hurts, please stop," she whispered, trying her best to turn away from him. He yelled louder for a doctor, increasingly worried for her health as she began rocking back and forth. She covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to shut out all light and noise from her pounding head. A new set of hands suddenly found her and forced her head up. Large fingers forced her eyes open and a tiny light flashed in them, making her cry out and wrench her face away from this new torture.

"Miss Anya." The voice boomed in her head, making her shudder. The voice softened. "Miss Anya, look at me. I know your head hurts, but I need you to look at me. Inspector, shut that door and turn the lights off, please! This girl needs the room as dark as you can make it. Yes, Sergeant, close those curtains too, please." As the room darkened and the sound outside lessened, Anya was able to let go of her ears and allow her eyes to slowly open. Her head was pounding and her stomach and side pulsed with pain. She was afraid she might be sick. "Good girl. Now look at me, that's right," the voice continued. Her eyes found the man's, the local Dr. Waters, and he smiled at her encouragingly.

"Is she going to be all right?" That was Slack's voice, coming from the side of the room by the door. She could see his outline faintly, her eyes adjusting to the now-dark room.

"Slack?" she called quietly. His shadow moved and came closer as he sat gently on the couch beside her.

"I'm right here, Anya," he said. She turned her head slightly, wincing as she felt a cloth touch her mouth.

"Are you hurt?" she managed to ask as she held the warm, wet cloth to her lips at the insistence of Dr. Waters. Slack grunted beside her.

"I'm fine, Anya. Worry about yourself right now. You took quite a beating," he mused. She found herself chuckling.

"I'll be all right, Slack. I'm sorry I frightened you. How's Ruby?" She turned her head to look at him and found him shaking his head, bemused.

"She's fine, thanks to you. Her uncle is in prison for assault so he won't be seeing her anytime soon. One of the maids came from Mansfield and I sent her home." Anya nodded.

"I will still have to do more sessions with her, but I think she'll be all right in the end," she mused, wiping her lips gently with the cloth.

"Can you stand, Miss Anya?" the doctor asked, seeing that her migraine was beginning to recede as her voice steadied and she became herself again. She nodded and began to rise slowly to her feet, Slack taking her elbows gently as he rose with her, steadying her as she winced in pain when she put weight on her aching hip. She would have fallen back onto the couch as her head start spinning had Slack not tightened his grip, allowing her to lean on him as she waited for the dizziness to pass. Dr. Waters waited until she had recovered to ask about any other aches and pains.

"I landed on my hip and got a fist to the stomach, but I think those are just bruises that will pass with time," she said, gradually shifting weight off of Slack. The doctor clicked his tongue and moved to begin inspecting her when she held up a hand. "I'll be all right now, doctor," she said, staying him with a hand.

"Anya-"

"Slack, I'm fine," she said tartly, her tone harder than she meant for it to be. She glanced sheepishly at him and found him looking away in frustration. She reached up and tapped his cheek lightly with her finger, making his head whip around in surprise. "I'm sorry." She smiled apologetically. He sighed and steered her gently in the direction of the door.

"Come on. Miss Marple is going to have my head once she finds out what happened to you," he said, walking beside her as they made their way to the station door and the police car beyond. Footsteps hurrying up to them revealed Lake, looking worriedly at Anya. She smiled.

"Lake, were you hurt at all?" she asked. He smiled and shook his head.

"Not at all. You were rather amazing fighting that man, Miss Anya," he said. "I've never seen anything like that before, let alone a woman fighting that way!" Her stern look drew a blush to his cheeks. "Not that women can't fight, of course. But you can imagine that something like this doesn't happen often here," he laughed, following them out the door.

"Lake, if you're going to continue babbling, at least get in the car and drive Anya back home!" Slack snapped, making Lake abruptly stop talking and slink to the driver's side door like a whipped dog. Anya giggled at the two of them as Slack opened the back door of the car for her, handing her in before taking his place beside the sergeant.

The drive home was filled with Lake relating to Anya the specifics of the fight between her and Uncle Harry. Her own memory was a bit fuzzy on the subject and so Lake gladly gave her a step-by-step guide as to what exactly happened, adding his own embellishments to which Slack grunted at disapprovingly but did not interrupt. She asked how badly off the man was and Lake snorted in amusement.

"It took four of us to haul him off to the interrogation room for holding until we could see if you were all right. He was huffing like a wounded bull the whole time but he was no worse for wear. You had taken the brunt of the beating. I'm afraid you didn't hurt him too badly, but then I don't know who really could in his condition!" Lake laughed. Anya smiled.

"I could only manage to hurt him enough to let me go. I didn't want to imagine what he could have done had I allowed him anywhere near my face." Lake's attitude sobered immediately.

"I hadn't though of that. He could very easily have killed you!" Lake acknowledged.

"Yes, he could have. Which is why you should have taken the girl and run and left him to us," Slack said grumpily, folding his arms over his chest. Smiling, Anya leaned forward and put a hand over his, surprising him.

~_If I had done that, I wouldn't have had the chance to let you care for me_,~ she whispered into his mind. His face turned so red that she was suddenly afraid he would burst a blood vessel. Lake glanced over and asked Slack quickly if he was all right.

"You don't look so good, sir," Lake said worriedly. The Inspector cleared his throat and removed his hand from Anya's, shifting away from her.

"I'm absolutely fine!" he barked, peering intensely out the window as if attempting to forget that the young angel was still in the back seat. She laughed silently, covering her mouth with a hand as she sat back, holding her tummy as it suddenly hurt from her silent giggles. Oh dear, what a tease he had made of her! She had never acted this way in her life!

All too soon they arrived at Miss Marple's place, met by Bessie at the door. The maid gasped and called shrilly for the old woman as she saw the angel being helped slowly from the car by the two officers. Miss Marple was there just as the three of them reached the front door. "My dear! What have you gotten yourself into this time?"Aunt Jane asked briskly, leading the two men and the angel into the sitting room. Slack and Lake handed Anya down gently into her chair and she thanked them, her hip making her wince slightly in pain.

"She'll have to tell you, ma'am," Lake said, turning to the old woman. "But she was a real savior today! You'll be proud of her once you hear the story," he assured, making the woman cock an inquiring eye brow.

"Can you not stay?" Anya asked suddenly, her eyes finding Slack's. He cleared his throat and reached up to fix his tie nervously as if it had come out of place in the course of the drive.

"We would, but I'm afraid I now have yet another pile of paperwork on my desk following this incident," he said grudgingly. Anya sighed.

"I suppose you will," she said reluctantly.

"Miss Marple." The old woman looked at the Inspector after tut-tutting Anya for her face. "I wonder if we might stop by later to see how Anya is doing?" Miss Marple smiled.

"Of course you may, Inspector. I'm sure Anya will like that very much, won't you, dear?" Anya was already smiling at Slack, making his cheeks color again.

"I would like that, Slack. Thank you." She inclined her head toward him, attempting not to appear too eager at the prospect of his company in front of the ever-watchful old woman. Miss Marple grinned knowingly without Anya's knowledge, the smile disappearing before anyone looked back to her.

"Thank you so much for bringing her back, Inspector. We'll see you tonight. I'm afraid I must hear this story and you still have work to do," Miss Marple said, ushering the two men out.

"Of course, ma'am." Slack tipped his hat to the old woman before saying his goodbyes. Anya smiled after him and he and Lake made their way to the door. Once they had gone the old woman was back in the sitting room, summoning Bessie for tea before she set on Anya like a wildcat.

"Now, dear, you must tell me everything this instant and leave nothing out! You shall have no rest until you do so!" Anya smiled.

"Yes, Aunt Jane."


	6. Chapter 6

The weekend seemed to simply vanish into thin air. On Saturday, the day after Anya's brawl with Uncle Harry, she had completely healed herself in time to attend the promised tea date she had set with the family at Fox Hall. Aunt Jane accompanied her to make the acquaintance of the siblings as well.

Fannie was not at the Hall when they arrived, but Ron and his two sisters, Anna and Adele received them graciously and demanded to know the happenings of the week, gaping at Anya's tales of what had happened in so short a time. When she got to the attack of Judith and the brawl with Uncle Harry, she made it seem as if all of her injuries were in areas other than her face as she concealed the fact of her healing abilities. Aunt Jane seemed to approve of this tactic and made sure her story corroborated with the angel's.

They stayed twice as long as they had planned on doing so, and Aunt Jane was the one to finally excuse them, the both of them inviting the siblings to Aunt Jane's house for tea later on in the week. Ron had told them he would be out of town tending to business, but Anna and Adele were all too happy to accept their invitation, setting a time for the following Friday.

Sunday was filled with Anya first attending mass with Aunt Jane and then calling on Ruby Hambeldon at Mansfield to inquire as to her health following the scene at the station. She spent a good portion of the day in a session with the little girl, assessing her for any sign that she would be permanently damaged by the discovery of her favorite maid after she had hung herself just days before. Ruby seemed to have the resilience of steel as she seemed to have completely bounced back to her original self after her crying spell at the station. The most surprising fact in the case was that she had stopped carrying around Cinnamon. The teddy now sat on her bed and was a favorite cuddling partner at night, but he was not seen in any other part of the house, speaking to the girl's outstanding growth.

Anya left her session feeling relieved and pleased with the child. Ruby was a rare girl, one that would make some lucky man very happy one day. Her uncle had been banned from seeing the girl and even going to the house, as it was found in her mother's will that Uncle Harry was to have a small portion of the family's wealth but was not to be the caregiver of little Ruby. Slack had instructed another relative to be found and a distant cousin was sent for, the woman agreeing to come and live with Ruby at Mansfield as her guardian. Anya was sure that this cousin would be a wonderful guardian for the girl but she promised herself that she would check in once the cousin had settled down and decide for herself.

Now, as Anya glanced in the Monday newspaper before moving forward in line to buy a few of Aunt Jane's favorite pastries to go with breakfast, Anya realized that she hadn't seen Slack all weekend and that she rather missed the Inspector and his brash voice yelling at Sergeant Lake all the time. She smiled fondly as she thought back to last week. Today marked the seventh day she had been in this village, and so much had happened she could barely wrap her mind around it! She was closer than ever before to Slack, though that wasn't saying too much as he still did not quite believe she was an angel. His feelings had changed toward her, however, and she decided that that was a small win for her in any case.

She paid for the pastries and left the shop quickly, hurrying back to Aunt Jane to deliver them to be had with the old woman's breakfast. Once Bessie warmed them, the whole house would smell of strawberries and blackberries, something Anya was looking forward to.

She hurried around the bend in the road, waving to the shopkeeper who kept the small place next to Aunt Jane's house, and trotted up the small path to the front door. Bessie was not there to help her with her coat as she entered, and so she juggled the basket of pastries as she shouldered her way out of the now-lighter coat, her clothing slowly shifting with the warming weather.

As she was hanging up the coat in the closet, a sudden pounding on the floor signaled someone coming toward her from the sitting room. She turned with the pastries, expecting to see Bessie finally coming to meet her, but an older man with graying hair was there before her instead of the maid, looking just as surprised to see her as she was him.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her eyes glancing around suspiciously, suspecting the man of perhaps burglaring the house while she had been gone. The man suddenly smiled and she tensed even further. What did he find so humorous?

"You must be Anya," he said, extending a hand. "Aunt Jane did tell me that you were coming back soon." Anya's eye brow arched as she noticed the informal title he used with the old woman. A light bulb suddenly went off in her head and her hand flew to her chest as she laughed shrilly with embarrassment.

"You must be Inspector Craddock!" She took his hand as he nodded approval. "Forgive me, I had completely forgotten your aunt had told me you were coming! I feel such a fool," she said, coloring slightly. This man was extremely handsome, the graying hair only adding to the appeal of him, and she felt just a bit flustered. He wore the same type of suit Slack did but somehow it appeared to flatter him all around. He smiled, dazzling her briefly.

"Aunt Jane did say you have had a very eventful week. She told me about some of the cases you've been on with Inspector Slack and about some of the pitfalls of working with angry people," he said jokingly, winking at her amiably. She giggled, suddenly embarrassed in front of him.

"You must think me a barbaric sort of woman from those stories," she said, amused. He grinned.

"Barbaric, no. What I now wonder is why anyone would attack someone so beautiful and attempt to ruin her face." Anya's cheeks were burning now. This flattery had a much greater effect on her than did that of the horrible man who had pinned her to the wall in Willow Hall.

"You are too kind," she said, smiling shyly. Bessie suddenly came bustling into the front hall, apologizing profusely for keeping Anya waiting. "It's all right, Bessie. Here, I've brought the pastries," Anya said, handing over the basket to the maid. "Is Aunt Jane down yet?" she asked before the maid could bustle off.

"I believe I heard her moving earlier, ma'am. She should be down soon."

"Thank you, Bessie. You are joining us for breakfast, aren't you, Inspector?" Anya asked sweetly, moving to the sitting room while they waited for the old woman to come down.

"Of course," he said with a smile, moving with her into the other room. He took Aunt Jane's seat while she sat in her favorite chair, relaxing against the cushioned back.

"Your aunt told me a little about you but I'm sure you could tell me more," Anya began, turning the conversation first toward him. She would have to think on how to explain her childhood to someone without mentioning the fact that she was raised in Heaven.

The Inspector leaned back in his chair and studied her briefly before he began. Never in his life had he seen a woman quite like her and wondered where Aunt Jane had been hiding her all this time.

Finally he began to speak, telling her about some of his childhood and then his education after his decision to become an Inspector. He was the only one in the family to go into that profession, surprising everyone. "Being in the police force was not my boyhood dream. The first thing I thought of being was a lion tamer." Anya laughed heartily, trying to picture this man as a boy taming a lion with whip and chair.

As if summoned by the laughter, Aunt Jane suddenly appeared in the doorway to the sitting room, smiling at the both of them. "I see you two have met. How do you like my new friend, Durmot?" she asked. The Inspector smiled, glancing at the angel.

"I'm wondering how long you've kept her from me, aunt," he returned with a smirk. Anya wondered if she would ever stop blushing when the both of them were summoned to breakfast. She would feel more at ease sitting by Aunt Jane while speaking with Inspector Craddock, she reasoned.

Anya closed her eyes and let the smells of the warm berries to wash over her, marveling in the freshness it brought to the house as they moved to the dining room.

"Ah, Anya, dear. I've invited Inspector Slack over for tea this afternoon," Aunt Jane said as the three settled down in their chairs to tea and warm pastries.

"Oh?" Anya perked up at the mention of the Inspector. Aunt Jane smiled and nodded.

"He assured me yesterday that he would came if he were able, though he won't know for sure if he'll be involved in a case or not." Anya nodded.

"Of course." She turned back to the warm blackberry pastry that she had snagged from the serving plate and cut into it, eager to enjoy the sweet filling. She moaned lightly with pleasure as soon as she took a bite. "These are some of the best pastries I have ever tasted, Aunt Jane!" she said, making the old woman laugh.

"Anya, you look like a child who's just taken her first bite of chocolate. Are they that good this time? Last spring there was something off about them and the berries were a bit tart for my taste," she said, cutting into her own pastry. The three set to work on their breakfast, not speaking much as the eating ritual began and each savored his or her own pastry. The tea Bessie had brewed was the perfect beverage to wash such a scrumptious thing down, too. Anya was almost sorry that she had eaten the pastry so quickly.

Once breakfast had been cleared away, everyone broke to do their own thing. Aunt Jane walked outside to tend to her garden and to pluck away the weeds that were now beginning their daily battle with her other plants. Anya turned to the Inspector.

"I know Aunt Jane told me you were here for a holiday but would you care to take a stroll with me around the village? The day couldn't be nicer at this time," she said. He nodded eagerly.

"Of course. I haven't seen this village in over a year. I should like to see the changes." She laughed.

"Well you'll have to let me in on the secret for I have only been in this village for a week!"

She chose her green suit for the walk, changing from the plain tan dress she had dashed out in earlier for the baker's delightful pastries. As she came down the stairs into the front hall, she saw Inspector Craddock's eyes widen in amazement.

"Is it too much?" she asked, looking down at herself.

"Oh, no." He shook his head, smiling. "It suits you well. I was marveling at how you managed to find such a perfect color for yourself." Her face would look like a tomato if he didn't cease with the flattery! she thought with a smile.

"Shall we?" she asked, moving to the front door.

"Of course." He followed her out the door and into the sunshine and the bustling street. Everyone was out today as the late morning was warm enough for all sorts of activities. Anya was constantly waving and shouting a good morning to all of the neighbors as they tended to their lawns or went for a walk themselves. Suddenly the Inspector was asking her about her life, and she told him some things from her childhood without revealing herself to him.

"And what is your profession? Are you a model?" he asked. She blushed.

"I am a psychiatrist, actually," she said, surprising him.

"Really? How interesting. I would have never guessed that had you made me. What made you want that profession?" She shrugged.

"The human mind has always fascinated me. People have so many unique behaviors and it's rather fun for me to study them and see what I can find." The explanation rolled off her tongue more easily than she had ever thought it would. She supposed she was settling in rather nicely to her fake life. She did not enjoy the lie, but it was not something that would hurt others should it ever be revealed, and that was the only reason she continued with it.

"Hmm." He looked off toward a stand of trees, lost in thought. "And how did you come to meet Aunt Jane?" He asked suddenly.

"Ah, well I came here from London to study the mixture of psychiatry with the art of interrogation. I met your aunt and Inspector Slack along the way. It took me a little while to be accepted in this area, though. I don't think my interference was looked upon very highly. Perhaps it still isn't," she mused. He smiled kindly.

"I'm sure I won't argue with your being here," he said. She smiled back at him.

"You're too kind." They continued on in silence then, each lost in thought. Anya decided that she rather liked Inspector Craddock. He was easy to get along with and she felt comfortable being around him, when he wasn't making her blush, that is. He was an all-around friendly man. He reminded her of Sergeant Lake in a way, and that thought led to Slack. She wondered if he would be able to make it to tea this afternoon. She would be very glad to see him again.

They came upon a shallow stream with a bridge stretching across and stopped by the side to rest a little. Anya leaned against the wooden rail and peered over the side, watching small fish darting to and fro in the water. She turned to look at Craddock. "Inspector," she began when he held up a hand.

"Call me Durmot," he said, shocking another small blush to her face. She recovered quickly.

"Very well, Durmot. Why did you decide to take a holiday out here? Aunt Jane says you live nearly twenty miles from St. Mary Mead. What made you wish to come to this village?" she asked curiously. He shrugged.

"I've always liked how quiet this village is. I needed to get away from my town for a bit, from the noise and everything else. I wanted to forget things for a little while." She smiled gently.

"Your last case was tough for you," she said softly. He gave her a tiny smirk.

She had spent too much time with Aunt Jane, he thought with amusement.

"It was, yes. There was a child involved, a little girl. She was abused and murdered by her uncle. It was very tough, indeed."

"I'm very sorry to hear that. He was put away, right?" she asked. He looked at her, shocking her with the sudden sadness welling up in his eyes.

"He killed himself before we could bring him in. We went to arrest him and just as we all got out of our cars he opened fire from his house, killing two officers and wounding another. The rest of us got down and shot back. He returned fire for a little while and then stopped. We waited for a few minutes until we heard one shot and then there was silence. When we finally went in we saw what the final shot had been for. The disgusting thing was that he had a smile on his face, as if it were all a big joke to him."

Craddock ducked his head down between his shoulders and closed his eyes as if trying to shut out the images that were circling in his mind. "One of those dead men was my partner," he whispered, his words so soft that she barely caught them.

Anya felt great sorrow for the man and fully understood why he needed to get away. "Forgive me," she whispered, placing a gentle hand on one of his for comfort and to help transfer warm, soothing energy toward him. He lifted his head and gave her a smile and she was devastated to see his eyes shining with tears. He blinked them away quickly and straightened, his hand still beneath hers.

"You're rather good at this, aren't you? I feel better already having told this to you. Perhaps it was destined for me to come here," he chuckled, wiping at his eyes with his left hand. She wondered that herself briefly but then shook off the thought. It was doubtful.

"It's true that it is better to let emotions come out rather than bottle them up, but I should not have pried something like that from you after it had happened so recently," she admitted, feeling rather ashamed of herself. He smiled and slid his hand out from under hers to give it a pat.

"No matter. I do feel better, that I am thankful for. It is better to let things out before they become too much, isn't it? Well, it's about noon now. Shall we head back? Aunt Jane will probably be wondering where we are." He held out his arm and she took it happily as they both headed back the way they came.

The conversation on the way home was much more pleasant.

Their slow saunter doubled the time it took to reach Aunt Jane's house. As they rounded the bend in the road, Anya caught sight of a taxi easing to a stop in front of the house and watched as Slack got out and paid the driver. He turned for the door when she called his name, her stride lengthening in excitement upon seeing him. He turned, his expression darkening as he caught sight of her hanging off of Craddock's arm. Durmot let her go and she hurried ahead, reaching Slack well before him.

"What have you been doing, Slack? I haven't heard from you all weekend!" she quipped mockingly. He looked down at her.

"I've been working, Anya. And I have called but you were always off having tea with someone or tending to Ruby Hambledon," he chided. She sighed and waved him off.

"Fine, fine, I deserve that. You'll be pleased to know that Ruby is doing wonderfully, however I will go back there to see this cousin of hers. If she is vile, I shall have to insist on another relation being found." She waggled her finger at him and he rolled his eyes.

"Yes, ma'am," he said in a defeated tone, making her laugh.

"Inspector Slack." Craddock had finally made his way to the two and tipped his hat to the other man. Slack nodded stiffly, clearly not happy at finding him here.

"Inspector Craddock," he said coolly, his demeanor changed completely.

"Come now, Slack, can't you be friendlier?" Anya chided, grabbing his forearms and pointing him toward the door. "Come on, then," she laughed as he protested vehemently.

She released him and trotted down the path to the door to open it, waiting for the two of them to hurry in. Slack gave a sideways glance at Craddock before he started down the path, taking his hat off as he came. Craddock followed silently with a small smile on his face. Oh, this tea date should be fun all around.

"Where have you been, Anya?" Aunt Jane sauntered into the front hall from the sitting room, catching sight of the three of them. "Ah, Inspector, so glad you could make it." Slack nodded curtly in her direction, his eyes flicking from Anya to Craddock as he witnessed her taking his hat and hanging it for him.

"Durmot and I went for a quick walk, Aunt Jane," Anya said, taking the old woman's elbow and turning her. "Come on, we'll all come in now," she said, walking away to sit Miss Marple back down.

Durmot? She was on first-name terms with the man already?! Slack felt his face heat as he followed the others into the other room, glaring at Craddock's back the whole way.

Anya took her favorite chair across from Aunt Jane, leaving the two Inspectors to share the small couch to their side. Both crossed their legs and turned in Anya's direction. Miss Marple noticed the movement out of the corner of her eyes and she smiled briefly.

It was rather a cruel trick she was playing on Slack, she admitted to herself, inviting Durmot to see if his presence and obvious interest in Anya would elicit a sign of jealousy in the older Inspector. She knew that Anya would not turn from Slack and go to Durmot. She was a wise girl and knew the sole person her growing feelings were for. This test was for Slack alone.

Bessie entered the room with a tray, and tea and cakes were quickly passed between the four of them. Once everyone had settled, Marple took the attention of the younger three, steering the conversation where she wished it to go. She asked Slack what he had been doing over the weekend and listened closely to the case he had just completed. As Slack talked she watched Anya and noticed that her attention was fully on the Inspector, her eyes not looking once at Durmot, much to her nephew's dismay. Very good, the angel was not letting her down, she noted.

"It always amazes me how criminals can be so forgetful at times," Anya mused when Slack finished his tale. He grunted.

"If he hadn't left those fingerprints, we would have been left with nothing to put him at the scene. Their stupidity is what makes our job easier." She smiled and shrugged.

"I suppose. But if they're that stupid, why would they commit the crime in the first place?"

"Because they believe they are smarter than they actually are, dear," Aunt Jane filled in with a small smile. Anya sighed.

"It's a shame that there's such evil in the world," she mused. Aunt Jane leaned forward and patted her hand lightly.

"If everyone had your temperament the world would be peaceful indeed, dear. But unfortunately, these two would be out of work and quite possibly bored with their lives," she chuckled. Craddock smiled.

"It would be rather boring, Aunt Jane. But I'm sure we would find another profession. Right, sir?" Slack's head jerked up.

"Yes, I suppose we would have to," he responded coolly, making Anya smile. She knew he didn't actually hate the other Inspector: Slack would be Slack no matter who it was. He very much liked Lake, just not how happy the younger man could be. Their odd relationship never ceased to make her laugh which always made Slack confused.

Anya took the conversation then, turning toward Durmot to begin it. "Tell me about the case you two first met while working together. Aunt Jane told me a little, but I haven't heard the whole story." She settled back in her chair, relaxing herself as she readied for the interesting story. Craddock looked to Slack first before beginning, catching the other man's jerk in his direction to allow him to start. Durmot smiled.

"I was called over to work on the Marina Gregg case by the Chief Inspector himself and was completely warned about the problems that would arise were I not, er, delicate enough with my investigation." His sideways glance at Slack caught the frown that had developed. "He also informed me of an old woman I should consult with as well, though I told him afterward that I already knew her and that she was my aunt! You can imagine the look on his face then," he laughed, Anya laughing with him at the thought. She could just imagine the surprise on Slack's face.

The Chief Inspector sat back on the couch and crossed his arms, clearly not happy with how this conversation had begun with first humiliating him. "Yes, I was surprised, but that made it all the easier for him to go and see Miss Marple for advice," he defended. Anya smiled at him.

"Of course. And I know you solved the case, right, Aunt Jane? Was it difficult for you?" she asked, turning then to the old woman. Marple, rather pleased that she was involved, nodded to the young woman.

"It was a bit of a problem for me at first, I must admit. I, like many others, believed the poison in Marina Gregg's drink had been meant for her and not for Mrs. Babcock. Well, that was until I began digging into Marina Gregg's past to see about her adopted children, and then it started to unravel itself before me. Once Marina had killed her secretary, Ella Zielinsky, then all the pieces fell together and I informed Durmot of my suspicions. Of course, by the time we got there to catch the woman she had already committed suicide." Anya was on the edge of her seat, intrigued by this case.

"Where were you in this, Slack?" she asked, and he felt flustered.

"I was rather in the background on that one, Anya. By the time I took a personal interest in order to get the Chief Constable off my back, Miss Marple here had already solved the whole thing." Anya chuckled.

"Oh dear. Is that the only case you two worked on together?" Durmot nodded.

"Yes it was. It wasn't the first one I worked on with Aunt Jane, though." He smiled.

"Ah, yes! The murders in Chipping Cleghorne! Oh, Anya, now this one will interest you," Aunt Jane said, smiling as she began relating the case to her. Slack listened just as closely, intrigued despite himself. Both Durmot and the old woman explained the circumstances: the murder announced in the newspaper at Mrs. Blacklock's house, the gathering of the village people in her home to see if it was all a hoax, the single gunshot that had grazed Mrs. Blacklock's ear and the dead man that was the shooter. The murder was a suicide actually, which confused Marple greatly and prompted her to delve further into the affair. Then the terrible death that was thought to be an accident of Mrs. Blacklock's close friend Bunny happened, followed by the murder another woman in the village who had worked out who the killer was just in time to have her life snuffed to keep her quiet.

Durmot allowed Aunt Jane to explain her sudden discovery that Letitia Blacklock could not be who she claimed, and found out the real identity of her and the younger couple living with her while passing themselves off as siblings. Durmot explained the set up that was staged in order to catch the real killer, Mrs. Blacklock, using the woman's cook to say that she had seen Mrs. Blacklock through a keyhole shoot the young man and then return to the living room to cut her ear and make it seem as if a bullet had indeed grazed her. Anya was entranced by the tale, so much so that when it was finished she sat back and clapped heartily. Aunt Jane did a mock bow from her seat with a smile.

"That was fabulous, Aunt Jane! It's astounding how the knowledge of this small village and its people allows you to know who is capable of what. I suppose even in such a village you've seen everything, and since you have the memory of an elephant, you recognize the signs of a certain personality and know the capabilities of that individual. It is extremely useful having you around, Aunt Jane," Anya praised. The old woman blushed and waved off the angel's compliments.

"Oh no, dear. I am quite flattered that you compare my mind with that of an elephant, though," she chuckled.

"I believe that you do as well, Aunt Jane," Durmot put in, quick to side with the angel. Slack felt rather left out of the conversation at this point. The other three were laughing and genuinely having fun exchanging quips with each other. He had never been one for such things, and he was not about to start now for anyone's sake. Anya glanced at the Inspector while Durmot and Aunt Jane conversed and saw him looking sullenly down at his cup. She stood quickly and moved toward him.

"Slack?" she asked gently, making his head jerk up.

"What is it?" he asked, striving to appear as if he were enjoying himself.

"More tea?" she asked, reaching for his cup. He paused and then nodded shortly, handing her the cup and saucer. Their hands did not touch as she took it from him. She turned from him with a smile and leaned over the tray. ~_Are you not enjoying yourself?_~ she inquired softly in his mind. ~_I'm sorry I've been ignoring you. Is something on your mind?_~ She turned back once she finished and saw him staring at her with a strange look on his face. When she handed him the cup the look vanished to be replaced by the sour one he always wore.

~_I'm fine,_~ he replied shortly. Craddock suddenly turned to Anya and asked her a question. ~Durmot _needs your attentions more than I do,_~ he snapped cruelly, not meeting her eyes. Her face fell for an instant but she recovered herself before he could look back at her.

"Is something wrong, Anya? Are you not well?" Durmot rose from the couch and took her elbow. She could already hear the protests in Slack's mind as he fought internally with this new development. She quickly smiled Durmot off, not wanting there to be a confrontation of any kind. She had to take control of the situation before it got out of hand.

"Oh, I'm all right. I just remembered some business of mine but then realized it had been taken care of." She carefully avoided saying his name, afraid of provoking Slack anymore. She sat back in her seat, watching Slack closely as he avoided her look determinedly.

Miss Marple noticed the exchange between the two and suddenly felt worried. What had happened in the last few minutes? Well, the Chief Inspector did seem to be eliciting signs of jealousy, true enough, but was this constructive at all or essentially damaging? She glanced between them to see Anya attempting to catch the Inspector's eyes while he kept them away with an iron will. Oh dear, what had she done? Perhaps this was too much too fast. Oh, she should have known better! What a foolish old woman she was! She should end this meeting soon before things spiraled out of control and something terrible happened.

"Anya, dear, tell us about your success with Ruby Hambledon," she said suddenly. Both pairs of eyes from the couch turned toward the young angel. Anya looked nervously between the two and caught the look of slight hostility Slack still retained. She sighed inwardly. What had she done to deserve this? She would be glad of the excuse, she thought, and so began to relate to Craddock all the happenings between her and the little girl, from the death of her parents to the finding of her favorite maid's body and the dangerous confrontation between Anya and the girl's uncle. Durmot listened intently as Anya described the scuffle and she ended her speech on a high note by praising Slack for his saving her from the large man.

The Chief Inspector was not amused by her praise, nor was he in the mood for her obvious attempt at trying to get back into his good graces. If she decided that she was interested in Craddock, who was he to stop her? he demanded of himself sharply.

"I'm glad he did save you. The man would surely have killed you, Anya! What were you thinking when you took him on?" Durmot asked. She looked from him to Slack and finally found his eyes on her. He seemed curious to hear her answer despite himself. She gave him a sad smile and found her eyes staring at his feet instead of his face.

"I was thinking of the girl, and of Slack. I had to protect everyone in that room before anyone else was seriously injured." Miss Marple felt her chest constrict. The poor darling, she was nearly begging Slack to forgive her for whatever it was he was angry over! Would he deny her that comfort even now? Her eyes fastened on the Inspector, but he was looking away from everyone now, his face a cold mask as he completely brushed off the angel's answer. Durmot did not appear to notice the sudden coldness that had enveloped the man beside him.

"Well, it was still reckless. But I'm glad that everyone is safe. I would have been disheartened to hear if things had gone wrong after I came all this way in the hopes of meeting you!" Durmot persisted. Anya's eyes widened and she glanced up quickly to Slack, her heart suddenly beating twice as fast in its rib cage. Oh no, why did Durmot have to say such a thing?! Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the look of cold fury on Slack's face. Suddenly he stood, making her jump in fear, and turned cold eyes toward Aunt Jane, startling the old woman with the animosity in his gaze.

"I'm sorry to cut this short, but I just realized that I have a pressing matter of business to attend to. We should do this again sometime. Good day, Miss Marple." He spoke as if devoid of all feeling. He dipped his head toward Miss Marple and then turned to do the same to Craddock, completely ignoring Anya where she sat in stunned disbelief. He left the sitting room and she heard him picking up the receiver to call for a car to come around for him.

"Forgive me, Durmot. I'll just be a moment." Anya quickly stood to her feet, hurrying out of the room to where she heard Slack's sharp voice, closing the sitting room door behind her so that they could be alone.

"Slack, please-" He silenced her with a quick glare and finished his conversation on the phone, dropping the receiver heavily onto its cradle. She winced, and then suddenly he was stalking by her toward the front door. She gathered her wits about her and turned, grabbing for his sleeve as he reached for his hat.

"Don't touch me!" he roared, smacking her hand away. She recoiled as if burned, holding her stinging hand as she stared at him in horror. What had she done to put him in such a rage? She couldn't think of anything for the life of her, and desperately wanted-no, _needed_- to make him see how sorry she was and how hard she was trying to make it up to him. While she stood stunned, he turned his smoldering glare from her and snatched his hat from its hook, shoving it onto his head before he stormed out the door, slamming it behind him. Anya choked back a sob and hugged herself, shaking her head. She couldn't understand it: everything had been fine! What had changed his attitude? Was it Durmot? Something about her saying the Inspector's first name had started Slack on his rampage. But why should that upset him?

Her head came up as she heard a car's brakes squealing slightly as the taxi pulled in front of the house. She couldn't leave things like this! She would get to the bottom of this! She hurried forward and wrenched open the door, running out into the twilight as the sun began its setting ritual. "Slack!" she yelled, running up behind him as he made to open the car door. In a desperate act, she threw her arms around him from behind in an effort to keep him from leaving. He made no move to comfort her or tell her it was all right, that he had forgiven her after all. He just stood there in silence, head pointed down as if he were composing himself.

"Let me go," he said wearily, the fight gone from him as his shoulders drooped.

"No, Slack. Not until you tell me what's wrong. What have I done? Please, whatever it is, tell me what I must do to make it up to you! I don't want you to hate me, please, Slack! I'm begging you, tell me what I must do!" It took all the courage he could muster to give her a reply.

"Leave me alone. I don't want to see you ever again." He kept himself from saying her name, from giving in to her shaking arms. If he had let her name come to his lips, to escape his mouth one more time, he knew that he would never walk away from her. He had made the mistake of not walking away before, and he vowed to himself that he would never do such a thing again. He must do this. He had to keep himself from that pain!

His answer startled her so that she loosened her arms unknowingly, allowing him to escape. He opened the taxi door and stepped in, closing it behind him. He would not look at her, would not succumb to the tears he heard in her voice. He needed to get away, now, before his courage waned. He gave his address sharply to the driver, who sped away without a second's hesitation.

She watched him through blurry eyes as he stepped from the circle of her arms into the taxi that would take him from her life forever. He never looked at her and his mind was completely shut to hers. She heard his sharp, barking voice and watched his lips move, wishing that she had said something else, anything that would stop him from leaving her. She stared helplessly as the taxi sped away with her Slack in the back seat. Hers? Should she have told him that she loved him? Would that have made him reconsider? Now she would never know because she had been too much of a coward!

The tears welled up and poured over before she could stop them, and her hands came up to her face as she collapsed on the walkway, sobbing her heart out at the loss of Slack. She didn't know how long she was on her knees sobbing before the front door opened and footsteps came toward her hesitantly. Hands took her gently by the shoulder and she felt Aunt Jane settle beside her, rubbing her back as she cried herself out.

When she had finally gathered the strength to stop, she looked to see tears running quietly down Aunt Jane's own face. "Oh, my dear. I am so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?" Anya wrinkled her brow. What was she talking about?

"What do you mean, Aunt Jane?" she asked, her voice still choked with tears. The old woman wiped her eyes quickly and struggled to get back to her feet, Anya following her slowly.

"Come inside, child, and I will tell you everything."

Anya followed Aunt Jane into the house and the sitting room, taking up her favorite chair again. Durmot was nowhere to be seen, which, considering the circumstances, Anya was rather glad of. She glanced at the spot Slack had been occupying just minutes before and felt fresh tears jump anew to her eyes as she remembered the cold way he had looked at her. She sniffled and wiped them away as Aunt Jane summoned Bessie to bring tea. Moments later a fresh pot was brought, and Anya wondered if Aunt Jane had known to prepare a pot before she brought Anya back in.

As Anya sipped her tea to calm her nerves, tasting some sort of alcoholic addition that warmed her considerably, Aunt Jane began her story, telling Anya the whole of her plan to bring Durmot to St. Mary Mead and to have his presence known by Slack to elicit jealousy from him. "I was a fool, dear. You spoke earlier of how I have studied people over the years and know how they will act, but in this case I was terribly wrong. I'm so sorry, Anya." The angel looked at her feet and wiped more tears from her face.

"This wasn't your fault, Aunt Jane. Yes, if Durmot were not here, this would not have happened. But there's nothing saying that it couldn't happen any other time as well. I think I am starting to see what has happened. He's been hurt before, hasn't he? He's loved before and been hurt." She put her tea cup down and hugged herself, wondering what woman could be cruel enough to harm Slack in such a way.

"Yes, dear," Aunt Jane confirmed her beliefs. "I did some snooping a while back and found out that he had a fiancé years ago. He was madly in love with her and did anything he could to make her happy. Just days before their wedding, poor Inspector Slack discovered the woman in bed with another man in his own house. Well, you can imagine his reaction. He was so in love with her that it devastated him but he couldn't bring himself to leave her. In the end, she took care of that too, and ran off with the young man she had had an affair with, leaving the Inspector behind with a broken heart." Anya sighed, closing her eyes as she leaned back in the chair, fighting to keep from reducing herself to tears again. She must think of how she could make this right.

"I don't understand how he could think that I would do such a thing with Durmot. At least, I assume that's what he's now thinking." She stopped and stared at Aunt Jane. "Does this mean that-" She stopped again, too shocked to continue. But Aunt Jane had caught her thought.

"Yes, dear. I would wager that he loves you very much but, being the sort of man he is, he doesn't know how to tell you or even show you. And then this happened." She sighed, the shame of her actions not leaving her. Anya finished the last of her tea and, her confidence somewhat restored, stood to her feet to the surprise of Aunt Jane. The old woman was shocked to see the sudden determination in the young woman's still-red eyes.

"I must go to him right now and tell him my feelings. I must fix this if he can't find the strength to," she said, turning to head for the front door.

"No, Anya!" Aunt Jane scrambled to her feet. The angel stopped, turning in confusion.

"Why not? Aunt Jane, you must let me go to him! He's hurting because of some wrong he thinks I have done him. I must set this right and ease his suffering!" Aunt Jane patted her shoulder.

"I know you feel that way, but he will not accept you tonight. You must give him time to think about what he's done and perhaps he will realize how hasty he's been. If he loves you as much as I think he does, he will be back apologizing for his actions within the week." Anya sighed, her shoulders slumping. She started shaking slightly and Marple saw more tears falling from the angel's leaf-green eyes.

"I'm sorry this happened, my dear. Come, you've had a demanding day. Go up to bed and I'll send Bessie up with your supper. Would you like another drink, this time without the tea?" she asked, taking the woman's shaking shoulders and steering her toward the stairs and her bedroom. Anya shook her head.

"No, Aunt Jane, thank you. You're sure I should wait?" she asked, turning her wet eyes to the old woman. Marple's heart broke upon seeing the devastation in the angel's eyes, but she nodded curtly regardless. Anya nodded back weakly, allowing herself to be led up the stairs and to her room, where she collapsed on the bed in utter exhaustion. She had never known that all of these emotions could be in her at once, nor that they could be so tiring to her body.

Aunt Jane left her in peace then, and she got up and changed into a nightgown when she heard Bessie's footsteps coming up the stairs. She accepted the tray gratefully and sat staring at the food with disinterest until she forced herself to eat a little bit. She fell back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, Slack's sharp bark and slap playing over and over in her head. She rubbed at the hand that had been so abused and then turned over, allowing more tears to drip down her face as she cried herself to sleep.

**Well that was quite a chapter, huh? Tell me what you thought about it! What do you suppose will happen next? Post your answers in a review and wait til the next chapter is posted!**

**Update: Finals are coming up for me within the next two weeks, so I won't be writing very much on the next chapter. Chapter 7 may not be up until about mid-May, but I promise no later than that! That should also give those who haven't caught up yet to do so. Happy reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

Two months went by.

Two long, grueling, heart-wrenching months.

Slack had not been in contact. Anya had seen nothing of him since the day he stormed out on her, hurt by her attentions to another man. He must have thought her rather loose, someone who could be won over simply by receiving flattery from handsome men. If Aunt Jane had not stopped her that night, she would have followed him home and stood outside of his door until he had to leave, begging for his forgiveness and trying her hardest to win him back.

But she had not done that. She had stayed, content with the hope that he would come to his senses soon enough and come back to her of his own volition. Things would be different: She would be happy and in the arms of the man she loved, the man she had vowed would be protected by her at all costs.

But nothing had happened. She was still waiting for him, two months later. Waiting for a sign that somehow his hard heart had softened just a little, allowing him to give her some form of solace from the grief that constantly ate away at her.

Every morning she sat at the window in the sitting room, staring out into the street to catch even a second's glimpse of his car should he come by. When the afternoon came and nothing happened, she would take tea with Aunt Jane and stay by the window, allowing the old woman to briefly distract her from her silent vigil for only moments at a time. Once Aunt Jane ran out of things to say, the vigil began again and Anya was left by the window until darkness fell, taking no sustenance but tea and sandwiches, things that could be consumed whilst her eyes were focused on other things. At last, when everyone had gone to bed, she would retire to her room and curl up in her bed, feeling the familiar tears well up on the insides of her lids, and would quietly sob herself to sleep.

Finally, Marple had enough. The poor girl was withering away into nothing, and it did not seem like the cycle would ever be broken unless something drastic happened. If Slack could not be persuaded in any way to see or communicate with Anya, she was afraid that the young angel might simply die from her broken heart, if such a thing were possible for the angel.

Miss Marple woke herself and dressed as usual, stretching her old bones as far as they would let her as her eyes found the sunshine spilling over the earth to bathe the land in color again. It was a warm Monday morning, exactly two months after that dreadful day, and it was time for Marple to have a serious talk with the angel about her behavior.

The girl was not to be blamed in any way for her reaction. Marple doubted the girl had had any experience with something like this before. But things could not go on this way.

She must convince Anya to cease her negative behavior and work on bringing the angel back to her former self. It had been long enough now. Perhaps Anya had to be the one to initiate conversation between the two again. Marple could certainly think of nothing else, and even though she might wish it, her involvement would not be seen in a welcoming light by the Inspector. It was best for her to stay out of the limelight for the moment.

Nodding to herself, the old woman shambled from her room and turned down the hall to confront the angel while she was still in bed. It was best to start early: This could be an all-day project she was undertaking.

She had her hand on the doorknob and was raising the other to knock when she heard something peculiar. Could it be-? She stopped and leaned forward, placing her ear gently against the door as she listened to the movement inside. Yes, there was no doubt about it. The angel was already out of bed and moving around! Why, she had never gotten up this early before, especially not since her gloomy spell! What could have happened to bring about this sudden shift in mood?

She knocked frantically. "Anya? Dear, what is it? Why are you up this early?" she asked, almost frightened to hear the answer.

Footsteps hurried to the door and it was wrenched open by a frazzled-looking angel. She was only half-dressed, pulling on the top to her green suit as she held the door open for Marple. Her eyes were wild with worry, her hands shaking as they did up the buttons to her top.

"Anya, dear, what-?"

"It's Slack, Aunt Jane! I must go to him at once! I can wait no longer. He needs me!" she gasped, frantically doing the last button up. Marple was taken aback at the angel's wild behavior.

"How do you know he needs you, dear? What's happened? Has he contacted you? Oh dear, I must be getting old if I can't hear the telephone anymore." The angel was shaking her head hard.

"No, Aunt Jane! He's sick, I can sense it! Oh, he had a terrible fever this morning and, of course, is not staying in bed and resting, but instead is going to work! He must stay home, this illness he has is taxing his strength too quickly for him to cope alone. He needs someone, and I cannot sit here another moment wallowing away in despair when he needs my help! Please, Aunt Jane, I must go to him!" The angel was nearly in tears as she begged for Marple to understand her reasoning.

The old woman nodded quickly, her hands reaching out to steady the angel. The girl was weak herself, the woman thought. Surviving off of tea and sandwiches now and again for two months had withered away any strength the angel had had. Oh, if only she had insisted on breaking this spell sooner!

"You will take a car, dear. You are in no position to be flying in your state right now. You are too weak. I wish you had taken better care of yourself, Anya. Come now, let's get some breakfast in you and then you'll be feeling better. You need to take care of yourself before you can hope to be of any help to the Inspector, yes?" she said, taking the angel's elbows as she guided her out the door. Anya nodded weakly, helpless even in the frail old woman's arms.

Marple took her downstairs and had Bessie whip up a nice, filling breakfast to bring the angel back to even a fraction of her former self. The angel sat and ate slowly, allowing her stomach to adjust to the sudden influx of food being dumped into it. Marple ate with her, watching the girl with apprehension the whole while. Could she be over reacting with this sense of hers? Marple wondered. No, Anya looked badly shaken. She was very worried about Slack, and so Marple had no doubt that whatever bug the Inspector had caught was serious indeed. If he didn't take care of himself properly, it could even be deadly.

The angel finished quicker than Marple anticipated and stood to take her leave when the old woman stopped her. "I'll call for the car, dear. It should be around in a moment." Anya shook her head.

"I should be fine now, Aunt Jane. I can fly. It will be faster anyway." Marple sighed.

"I would feel better about it if you took the car. You can't afford to exhaust yourself when the Inspector will need all of your strength, yes? What if he collapses? Take the car, dear. You will have plenty of opportunities to stretch your wings once this horrible ordeal is over." The old woman simply beamed with confidence, infecting Anya with her optimism. The angel nodded once, surrendering to the woman's will as Marple hurried to the phone in the front hall to call for the car.

She did have a point, Anya thought. It would do no good for anyone if she pushed herself harder than she should. She must be strong now and harden herself for this new challenge. Slack would not be happy upon seeing her, she knew. He would resent her coming to him and refuse her attentions even though all she would be trying to do was help.

Somehow she must get through the thick shield he had formed around himself. She had to convince him that she would never hurt him, not ever. Not like the woman in his life before had.

Her chest burned at the thought of the pain that woman had caused him. Why, if Anya had been around...What? What would she have done? She sighed, her shoulders sagging in defeat. She didn't know. Marple entered the room in time to witness the defeated pose the angel portrayed and wondered what had changed her mood so suddenly.

"Anya?" The angel looked up, realizing then that she was not alone anymore. She smiled disarmingly, the confidence returning to straighten her posture.

"I'm all right, Aunt Jane. I let my thoughts wander, but I am focused now. Is the car coming?" She got straight to the point, eager for no time to be wasted. In the back of her conscious, she could feel a slow burning fever raging throughout the Inspector's body. It seemed worse now than when she had first been roused by it.

"Yes, the car is coming. Is he still all right, Anya?" The angel shook her head slowly.

"The fever is harsh on his body, Aunt Jane. I'm surprised he is still on his feet. I must get to the station quickly before something terrible happens."

"You don't think that Sergeant Lake-?" Anya shook her head again fervently.

"No, Aunt Jane, Lake won't be able to convince Slack to go home and rest. The man has the stubbornness of a mule, after all. It must be me that does this in whatever way I can. And, Aunt Jane, I will have to stay with him until he is well again," she said uncertainly, feeling almost nervous to say such a thing. What would his reaction be when she did not leave him on his own? He would not be at all accepting of her staying at his own house to nurse him back to health.

This would be the most difficult challenge given her yet. She just hoped that she was up to it.

A beeping outside the front door brought her back to herself as Aunt Jane jumped into action and ushered her toward the hall, offering tidbits of advice along the way. Anya only half-listened, her heart pumping faster now at the reality of what she was doing.

She had not seen Slack for two months now. There had been no contact between them for that period of time, not even a short visit by Sergeant Lake to consult with Aunt Jane on a case. It was strange not seeing or hearing Slack's voice for so long a time. Their meeting seemed almost surreal after such a lapse.

Aunt Jane was swatting at her to hurry and get into the car, the door held open by the patient chauffeur. Anya was in the car with the door closing and Aunt Jane waving at her before she had time to register what was happening. She waved back weakly, her eyes straying to the driver as he turned his head back to hear her destination.

"The police station, please," she sputtered, the words amazingly difficult for her to speak. How was she to do this when she could barely hold herself together? Something had to happen: Something that didn't involve her racing mind to over think a response.

She was still wrestling with her doubts when the car pulled up outside of the police station and the driver opened the door for her, watching her impatiently as she fought to gather herself. With all the strength she could muster, she extended a shaking leg and stepped out of the car, allowing the man to close the door behind her and resume his seat, racing away as quickly as he had come and leaving her stranded at the one place she thought she would never dread coming to.

She didn't know how long she stood staring at the station doors, imagining the enraged face of Slack appearing behind the doors as he came out to yell for her to go away, leave him alone! She was so lost in her imagination, petrified of the image her mind played over and over again that a sudden honk made her jump, her heart launching into her throat as she tore her eyes away from the building and stared at an angry driver who was impatiently waving her out of the way so that he could park his car in the space she was standing in.

She hurried onto the sidewalk, relinquishing the space to the frustrated man. Her head ached with all the scenarios her mind called up to her, each one more frightening than the last, until finally she stopped all thoughts, clearing her mind of everything for a moment as she sought to gain control. She closed her eyes and her mind became a blank slate, nothing appearing in front of her as she steadied her breathing and her heart beat, effectively calming herself before she was swept away on the wave of madness that threatened to ruin her.

She opened her eyes after a moment, allowing herself to take in the sights and smells, sounds and the feel of everything around her. Slowly she acclimated herself to everything again, taking time to come back to herself before her breakdown. She had to gain control or else she would be of no use to Slack when he needed her most. She could not afford that, not when there was something she could do. She took a deep breath, feeling the shakes slowly cease, and looked again at the doors of the police station, Slack's angry face thankfully absent.

Slowly, she started for the door and her stubborn charge inside.

She opened the door to the station and stepped inside, positioning herself to the right for anyone else coming in after her. Her eyes took in the happenings inside, from detectives delivering suspects for statements to secretaries busily click-clacking away on their typewriters. The station wasn't unexpectedly busy today, which she assumed was a good thing. If Slack were to cause a scene upon seeing her, it was best to do it in front of as small a crowd as possible.

Her eyes found the glass-paneled door that led to Slack's office. Memories flashed through her mind of the day that she had fought and beaten the raging uncle of little Ruby Hambledon. She remembered the feel of hands pulling her to safety from beneath the giant and into a pair of strong arms to deposit her on the small couch for the doctor to inspect. It wasn't until Lake had recapped the events that Anya had known that the arms had belonged to Slack and that he had been the one to save her.

Those memories sparked a warmth that spread throughout her body, brightening her mood and her outlook on the events about to take place. Eventually that door would open and she would be staring into the eyes of the man who had caused her so much pain by keeping his distance from her.

The man she loved.

Desperately, she tried to remember all of the highlights of their time together to keep her good feeling going and her confidence growing. She remembered the first time they had met, when dear Aunt Jane had helped her find the police station and the man she had sworn to protect inside. He hadn't listened to her story for five minutes before he threw her out, not believing a single word she said.

She hadn't let things drop there, however. She had followed him to a crime scene and had scared the life out of poor Lake in the process of forcing her help onto the Inspector. Since that agreement, their time together had only increased, and so had the bond that had been forged when she gave her oath in Heaven. They had been through some trials where she was forced to take her vow into account and save him from others, such as the woman Judith when Anya had figured out that she was a murderer, and Uncle Harry in his office, though Slack had come to her aid in the end.

She thought back to their first pitfall, when Slack had cancelled the tea date with her and Aunt Jane so suddenly, and how she had childishly run off and then refused to take his help after he and poor Lake had given much of their time to search desperately for her. She had matured a little after coming to terms with her faults that night and thought longingly of the new tea date that had been set where she had given her apologies and Aunt Jane had in turn solved the torturing case.

One particular thing about that day stuck out in Anya's mind as she stood alarmingly still within the station. She had been pouring everyone tea and when she had gotten to Slack's their fingers had brushed, bringing their eyes together for a time. That brief contact had sparked something deep within the both of them. Perhaps it was the first time they each considered the fact that one loved the other.

A sudden movement startled her from her thoughts. Her eyes found the door to Slack's office opening, the man himself stepping out with Lake and speaking wearily as the Sergeant jotted down notes on the small notebook he always kept on his person. Anya could do nothing but stare, her body frozen in place by this unexpected development. A part of her hadn't thought that he was actually in there. Maybe she had been unconsciously hoping he wouldn't be in the station at all so that she could continue to avoid the inevitable confrontation.

He looked pale, the fever taxing his body exponentially. He shouldn't even be at work, she mused, but at home and in bed resting while his body battled whatever it was that was making him sick. He was not doing anyone a favor by pushing himself.

Her mind vaguely took in the opening of the front door behind her, a small gust of wind tossing strands of hair over her shoulder. Suddenly Slack's eyes were turning toward her, caught by the movement of the door, and locked on her. His eyes widened, his mouth opening and he gaped at her like a fish out of water. She must have looked just as silly staring back at him with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

A body brushed past hers, knocking her shoulder and breaking the spell that held her. That moment was enough for her to gather her wits and turn a smoldering glare on the person who had so carelessly shoved her. The brunette woman paid her no mind as her face lit up in a smile, her hand lifting in a wave.

"Oh, Johnny! I'm home!" Anya followed the woman's gaze and found the baffled eyes of Slack gawking back at the woman, completely forgetting Anya in that instant for this mystery person who suddenly had his undivided attention. The room went suddenly quiet as everyone's attention settled on the two staring at one another, lost in their own world. Anya watched as Slack swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down nervously.

"Sarah?" he whispered, his voice carrying across the still room. Anya's breath caught in her throat. Could she be-? She stopped, staring once again between the two of them.

The brunette laughed, the sound grating on Anya's nerves like the cackle of an old woman up to no good. She winced slightly and stared helplessly as the woman raced toward Slack.

Lake backed up quickly, almost as if afraid of the laughing brunette. His eyes turned and found Anya and his shoulders drooped at her dismay. The poor girl. The Sergeant had had no idea that the Inspector's ex-fiancé was in town, and neither had Slack, he reasoned at the astonishment still registered on the man's face.

The woman named Sarah jumped into Slack's arms, nearly knocking him over in his weakened state. Anya reached a hand out unconsciously in front of her as if to steady him, tears jumping to her eyes as the understanding of these events slowly unfolded in front of her. This woman…she must be the one that Aunt Jane had told her of, the fiancé that had broken the poor Inspector's heart just a few years before Anya had come along.

Her body felt numb as she stood foolishly in her place as this strange woman laughed and held onto the man that Anya loved. What should she do? Clearly Slack was still unwell as he could barely keep his feet beneath the added weight of this woman hanging all over him, completely clueless that the man was ill.

Anya felt a slow anger begin burning deep in her chest. What could she do? She had come all this way to repair things with Slack and take him home to care for him. Her thoughts had not included this old flame of his, of course, and she could feel her jealousy burning within the pit of her stomach, warming her considerably. Her tears disappeared with her sudden flare of temper. How dare she make an appearance after what she had done to him? Anya's voice raged within her mind like a roaring tiger. How could this woman be so callous as to come back into Slack's life after having hurt him so badly and, from the looks of it, expect everything to be fine?

"Sarah, what are you doing here?" Slack was clearly uncomfortable with how his morning had begun, first seeing one woman he still held mixed feelings for and then another who had shattered his life just two years ago. He was confused by all the happenings, not knowing which way to turn or who to look at first. Here was Anya obviously come to torture him some more by attempting to mend the rift between them, and now Sarah had shown up from nowhere to seemingly pick up where they had left off, as if she hadn't run off with another man and torn his heart to pieces. Slack just didn't know what to do, and the strain of his confusion was causing his weakness to increase tenfold as the headache he had had all morning grew worse and the fever steadily consumed the last of his reserves.

Anya watched in horror as he seemed to crumple to the floor in slow motion, his body fighting to keep itself upright. The woman Sarah was calling his name, asking what was wrong, why was he falling, Johnny, are you all right? The fever burning throughout him was more than Anya could take as the heat he felt in himself radiated like small rivers of fire coursing through her veins as well, her body sweaty and uncomfortable as she struggled to shut off her senses to keep herself on her own two feet. She had to help him before he became too sick for anyone to cure!

"Lake!" Anya called desperately as she started toward the Inspector just when his knees hit the floor with a jolt. The Sergeant was there immediately, gently pushing the other woman away as her questions turned to yells as she demanded to know what was wrong with her Johnny. Anya brushed the hysterical woman aside as she kneeled down and took Slack's shoulders gently in her hands as Lake looked on, eyes wide with worry. Slack's head rolled to the side and came to rest on Anya as he mumbled something incoherent. She looked up to find the Sergeant's eyes glued to her, waiting for an order.

"He needs to be taken home and put into bed straight away, Lake. He needs lots of water and medicine to help calm his fever. If we can't bring it down soon, it could turn deadly," she warned sternly. He nodded fervently as he struggled back to his feet.

"The car's out front. I'll drive you both to his place." Anya nodded, a small smile of thanks on her lips for a moment before she turned her attention back to the groaning man in her arms, his body shaking with chills as the fever seemed to both suck the heat from him and absorb as much as it could to fight whatever it was that had decided to attack his immune system. The fever he had was hotter than anything Anya had ever known, and her medical knowledge was expansive thanks to her mother. A fever was beneficial to the body whilst fighting off sickness, she knew, but an extremely high fever, if left alone without the proper fluids and treatment, could become life-threatening. She couldn't let that happen.

"Come on, Slack, let's get you back home and to bed," she said soothingly as she took him under the arms and, with Lake's help, hauled him to his feet. She pulled one of his arms around her shoulder and looped an arm around his waist to steady him, Lake following her example to even the burden.

Just as they started for the front door Sarah seemed to gather her wits and stepped in front of the trio, hands on her hips. "Just where do you think you're going? I'll be the one to take him back to his house and care for him! And who are you, anyway? You certainly don't look like any constable I've ever seen before," she sniffed, moving to take Slack's arm from Anya. The angel stepped back and away from her almost casually as she tried to keep her tone civil for a reply.

"I am not a constable, miss. I am a psychiatrist and a friend of Slack's. We'll do fine to take him there ourselves. We'll let you know how he's doing once we have him settled," she said, keeping her tone officious as if she were in charge.

"You just want him for yourself, don't you? You stupid woman! He's my man and I'll be the one to take care of him!" Sarah's hand came out of nowhere and slapped Anya hard across the face, whipping her head to the side and nearly knocking the angel off balance. Two hands grabbed Slack's arm from around the angel's shoulder and tugged it viciously away as the girl staggered back, head ringing from the impromptu slap.

She watched, eyes watering as the haughty woman took her place beside Slack and, with a bewildered Lake looking on, promptly started for the door, nearly dragging the Sergeant along behind her. He looked back quickly, as if afraid that if he cooperated he would feel Anya's wrath. She shook her head and waved him on as her other hand massaged her cheek, the stinging gradually fading. It would not do for her to begin a fight here in the police station, even if her hand was itching to return the slap given her. Slack's health was too important at the moment. She could not waste valuable time easing her bruised ego while he suffered.

She followed the trio slowly, her eyes piercing Sarah's back as the woman led the listless Inspector and his unwilling Sergeant from the station to the car that Lake directed her to. She stopped at the glass door and watched as the two maneuvered Slack into the back seat, Lake surprisingly more careful in his handling of Slack's limp body than his so-called ex-fiance as she hustled in to sit beside him, waving off the affronted Sergeant. Lake turned to look at Anya again with a silent plea in his eyes. Did he really have to leave Slack in the care of this woman? Anya nodded her consent slowly, giving the distraught Sergeant a small smile to reassure him that what he was doing was fine.

She may not be the one to care for Slack now, but she would take care to keep herself in the loop at all times with his treatment. She did not want this woman near Slack, and especially not caring for him while he was ill and helpless, but what choice did she have? She couldn't very well argue with the woman or fight her for him. After all, Slack was still angry with Anya since she had not had the chance to mend their relationship before his old flame had rushed back into his life. No, let the woman think that she had won for now.

Sooner or later Anya would prove her own worth to the Inspector and help him to realize his feelings for her. Anya was not a bully and did not revel in the pain of others, but she found herself hoping that this woman's incompetence could be shown to Slack in time for him to come to terms with how his life could be with Anya and no one else. Then they would see who came out on top.

That would be ample pay back for the slap, Anya reasoned.

Lake got in the car slowly, reluctant to be driving this horrid woman to Slack's place and even more reluctant to leave the man in her care. But he trusted Anya, and knew instinctively that she would not abandon the Inspector just like that. He knew she loved him, and knew also that Slack had feelings for Anya as well. He just hoped that the sudden arrival of Sarah did not ruin things for the both of them in the long run. He looked back once to the angel, seeing her hand drop from her face as the stinging from the slap receded. She flashed a smile at him once more and winked, motioning him onward. I will take care of this, don't worry, her look said to him.

The sudden shrieking for him to move it from the woman in the back made him jump and start the car rather violently. He pulled out from his spot and raced away from the police station and the beautiful young woman looking on from the front door.

As soon as the car was lost from view, Anya turned and walked back through the police station, finding the bathing room for women. She would shift in there and fly to Aunt Jane's place. She must tell the old woman what had happened and think of her next plan of action.

Stars twinkled brightly on that moonless night. A stargazer would have been dazzled as a large shadow blotted out the stars for a moment before it moved on, heedless of others as it raced through the sky toward its destination. To the untrained eye it would have looked like a massive bird, soaring through the sky on the hunt for something specific. And very eager to move quickly toward whatever goal it had in mind.

Anya flew as fast as she could to Slack's home. Aunt Jane had been kind enough to find out the Inspector's address through her connection with the police. When Anya had come back and told her everything, Aunt Jane had been adamant about Anya going to Slack's place that night to make sure that he was receiving the proper care that he needed from his monster of an ex-fiance.

"She cannot be trusted, my dear. She is a gold-digger, interested only in the next man who has money. The only reason why she has come back is for money. For all we know she could leave the poor Inspector to die in his bed while she spends whatever funds he has saved up before moving on to her next target. Oh my dear, you must take care of him yourself. But since there is no way we can get her out of that house, you shall have to care for him at night while she is sleeping."

And so Anya had set out from Aunt Jane's house as soon as the sun had completed its setting ritual and the land was blanketed in darkness. Now she passed over darkened homes and the occasional car driving beneath her was the only thing to send pin-points of light through the night as she flew in the earth's perfect cover. She thought of her situation as she flew, wondering if Aunt Jane was indeed right in thinking that Sarah was back only for money and would leave as soon as she found a better offer than what Slack had to give.

The familiar burning sensation spread throughout her chest as her anger deepened with her thoughts. She could not let this woman hurt Slack again! She had to be there for him if or when this woman decided to take her leave once more. She just hoped that he wouldn't fall back in love with her before she had a chance to leave again. Could he again love the woman who had so broken him once before? Certainly it was not an impossibility. And that was precisely what frightened the angel.

Suddenly Anya was passing over the old red barn Aunt Jane had told her was by the Inspector's home, and she slowed her flight, lowering herself slowly to the ground as the small house came into view, the windows dark. No sound came from within, reassuring the angel that both occupants were more than likely asleep.

She made her way to the front door, stepping through it easily in her translucent form, and stood still in the front hall, listening for the faintest of movements. Soft snoring up the short stairwell alerted her to the woman Sarah. She could not hear anything from Slack. She stepped forward cautiously, keeping her form to prevent her from knocking anything over in the darkness. She had to find a candle or something and then make her way to the kitchen. She doubted that Sarah had left Slack any access to water, and so would make sure he had at least one glass before she left that night.

Earlier that day she had bought and made a tincture out of hollyhock, the herb her mother had told her of once that was a natural fever reducer. If she could get Slack to drink that and then help him further by infusing her healing energy, she was sure she could break his fever within a day or so.

She found the kitchen with relative ease and set to taking down a large glass and filling it with water before setting to work finding a candle to find her way around the house. As she bustled in the kitchen she stopped a couple of times to listen for the continued snores from upstairs, convinced at times that they had ceased.

After successfully finding a sad, stubby little candle along with a few matches, her eyes looked up to find the dusty, small window situated over the wide sink allowing the cook who used this kitchen during the day to see into the back yard of the house. From what she could make out, it was a rather neat lawn. The housekeeper must tend it, she thought. Slack would never have enough time to do such a thing with his profession. Nor did he seem much the gardening type.

She lit the candle then, stealing from the kitchen. She started quickly for the stairs, her footsteps as light as possible as she struggled to keep hot wax from dripping onto her fingers in one hand and the water from spilling in the other. She ascended the steps slowly, thankfully hearing only soft creaks from them. She gained the landing and held the candle out, illuminating the few rooms at the top of the stairs. The snores from Sarah came from the room directly in front of Anya, and so she walked by that one and opened the door next to it, peering through it to find another bedroom, the bed holding the occupant she was looking for.

At least Sarah was not sleeping in the same room as Slack, she thought with relief as she hurried inside, closing the door gently behind her. Slack made little noise from the bed, but she could hear his teeth chattering at times as his body still fought the fever. She hurried to his side and set aside the water and candle before bending to put a hand against his forehead, feeling his face drenched with sweat. She searched frantically around the room and on a short dresser found a wash basin still full of water with a still-damp wash cloth hanging over its side. She wet the cloth and wrung it out, moving back to place it on his forehead in an effort to bring him some relief. She found a chair in the far corner of the room and carried it to the side of the bed so that she could sit in comfort and wipe him down. After that she would wake him and give him the water and tincture before leaving him in peace.

Softly she wiped his face and neck area down with the cloth, watching as his body shivered from the contact of the cold water with his burning skin. He groaned and stirred when she stopped and she saw his eyes open. He blinked his eyes slowly before turning them to look at her, scrunching in the dimness of the candlelight in an effort to make her out. She smiled and took the cloth from him, placing it on the nightstand by his head for later use.

"Hello. I'm sorry we had to meet again under these circumstances, but it was your decision to go to work when you knew you were sick," she reprimanded gently as she turned to take up the glass. "Can you sit up? Drink this, it'll help keep you hydrated. I have a tincture that will help with your fever as well," she said. He still stared, not quite comphrehending who she was.

"Sarah? Is that you? I didn't think you'd come back to me. It's been so long...Why did you come back? Do you still love me after all?" Tears suddenly jumped to her eyes of their own accord. He sounded so weak and miserable, a man once madly in love with this woman and who had been indescribably hurt by her. Now, he sounded desperate to know the reason why she had come back. He needed to hear that she had come to fix things, to start anew, not because she was a gold-digger who only needed him at the moment because she was strapped for money.

What should she do? Should she crush his hopes by telling him what the woman he loved really was? Or should she keep quiet and pretend that she was this Sarah of his and leave him in peace until he was better? She managed a smile and patted his arm gently, her heart aching at her decision.

"It's all right, Johnny. I'm back now. I won't go anywhere ever again. Now, sit up for me and drink this water. I promise it'll help you get better. Come on now," she cooed as she helped him sit up against the bedframe, piling pillows behind him to make him more comfortable. She reached back for the glass, and when she looked back at him again he was smiling, a genuinely content smile. Her chest contracted and her breath hitched for a moment. Never had she seen such an expression of happiness on his face before. Not even when he had looked at her.

He took the water without complaint and drank a bit in an effort to please her. Once he was finished he handed the glass back with another smile. When she replaced it on the nightstand she grabbed the wash cloth and turned back to wipe his face off again. He grabbed her wrists gently and suddenly pulled her forward, holding her against his chest with all the strength he could muster. She gasped slightly at this sudden advancement, but felt herself slowly relax into his arms, knowing it was wrong. She shouldn't let this go any further than it was, knowing that it would hurt and yet not caring in that moment.

She felt her arms move on their own and wrap themselves around his hot body, holding him with a fierceness she could not contain. Oh, how she wanted to be in his arms like this! If only they could stay like this forever, and he could suddenly forget about Sarah and his past with her. If only he did not think she was someone else!

"I still love you, Sarah. Thank you for coming back. You don't know how much this means to me, having you here again. Please, don't ever go away. Stay with me forever and make me the happiest man on earth. Please tell me you'll stay." With tears now coursing down her face she nodded into his chest, unable to speak in the tumult of emotions that were swirling through her. How could she be so cruel to him like this? How could she stay here and promise something that she wished would never happen?

She gathered her wits quickly and pulled away from him gently, wiping her eyes of her tears. She eased the confusion on his face with a quick smile. "Here, take this tincture and then I'll let you sleep. You need lots of rest. I'll leave this water by your bed and whenever you wake you should drink some. I'll check on you again later, all right?" He nodded in acquiescence. She pulled the spoon and tincture bottle from her pocket and measured out the amount needed. He took it without complaint before maneuvering himself down under the covers again obediently.

She wiped his face down again quickly with the wash cloth and then folded and laid it gently across his forehead. He took hold of one of her hands before she could pull away. "Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?" he asked, his voice already betraying the fatigue that was gripping him. She smiled and patted his hand.

"Yes, of course," she whispered. He gave her another radiant smile and lay back, closing his eyes, his hand still holding hers. Her tears began anew and she let them fall silently as she stared at his face, so serene now that his beloved sat beside him. Unfortunately, she was the wrong beloved.

Oh, what had she done? Now whenever she came she had to pretend she was that horrid woman come to take care of him! Perhaps he would figure out the differences of his caretakers after a while, but for now the fever had left his senses rather shoddy.

She sighed in resignation, her tears fianlly coming to an end as his breathing steadied and he fell fast asleep. His hand loosened and she pulled hers from his grip slowly in an effort not to wake him. She would do her energy work quickly and then leave. She didn't think she could bear to be in the same room as him now that she had betrayed him. She would not abandon him, though. Even though she took up this charade, she would not give in to her grief and leave him to save herself pain. This was something she must do for a time to keep the peace. Who knew what he would do if he realized it was Anya come to heal him in the night, the woman who had caused him grief not two months ago? No, she was better off with this mask until he was well again, at least.

Silently, she set to her energy work, infusing him with wamr, soothing energy that would not make him uncomfortable. She hoped that with these continued treatments of both the energy and tincture, this fever would decline quickly and then they would see about what had caused such a reaction in him.

As soon as she was done she stood and replaced the chair in the corner, erasing most of the evidence that she had ever been there. She left the glass of water and cloth on his forehead and, with a last longing look at his peaceful face, she spread her wings and took flight from the room to come back the next night and repeat the process.

It took three more nights of Anya's continued attentions toward Slack for his fever to finally come down to a normal level and, from there, to taper off and finally break, giving him relief from its incessant burning.

Anya had been there the night his fever had finally died off for good. She had given him his tincture and was setting him up for sleep again so that she could perform his energy work when suddenly he gasped and his eyes sprang open, causing Anya to jump nearly out of her chair. She stared at him, wondering what on earth had happened, when he suddenly turned his eyes toward her and she saw the light of recognition in his eyes for the first time.

"Anya?" His eyes scrunched up in confusion, wondering why she of all people was there and so late at night. He looked around as if unaware of his surroundings. "Where are we? Did I fall asleep at the station?" he asked, his voice reflecting his usual brusque manner. "I had a strange dream that someone I knew long ago came back." He shook his head as if trying to clear it. "But that's impossible." Anya's heart was galloping in her chest as she realized what had happened. She stood quickly, Slack's eyes darting back to see what she moving for.

"I'm sorry, Slack, but I must be going now. You need some sleep, even though your fever's broken. You've been sick this past week and the fever's been terrible. It's no small wonder you can't remember much, but that's all right. You go to sleep," she said, turning to grab the chair to replace it in the corner of the room again.

"Anya, wait!" Slack grabbed her arm and stopped her, staring as she stood shaking in her spot. "I've been sick, you say? No wonder I feel awful. But wait, aren't we in my office? I thought-" He looked around again and his eyes widened. "No, this is my house." His eyes darted back to her again. "Why are you in my house?" he demanded then, letting go of her arm. She gasped in rage and whirled on him.

"This is the thanks I get? Four nights of sneaking in here to treat you, and this is what I get? Well you're welcome! I only saved your life, Slack!" she snapped, her voice suddenly louder than she meant it to be. He stared at her, bewildered, and the guilt hit her in a flash just as noises in the bedroom next to her started.

"What is going on in there?" Anya heard the enraged voice of Sarah as the woman hurried into Slack's room, staring first from Anya where she stood and then to Slack.

"Sarah?" Slack's surprise was the same as when he had first seen the woman in the station days earlier. He must really not remember much, Anya thought.

"Johnny? You're feeling better, I see." Was that _disappointment _Anya heard in the brunette's voice? Sarah's attention turned back to the angel and her eyes flashed. "You're that bimbo from before! What are you doing here? What are you doing to my Johnny?" she yelled, fingers bent in a clawing position as if she meant to scratch the eye balls from Anya's head. Anya's anger took hold of her in that instant and she could feel the spreading of her wings in a threatening fashion as she yelled back at the irrational woman.

"I was bringing him back to health, thank you very much. Unlike you! If I hadn't have been here, he would have died from that fever! I as his guardian cannot let something like that happen, so I've been coming here at night and treating him while you were asleep." She turned then to the shocked Slack, emotions parading across his face as he fought to understand what all was going on. "You're fine now, Slack. I don't have to worry about you anymore. Goodbye." Her eyes flashed to the brunette woman and Sarah flinched back as if struck at the fury in the angel's brilliant blue eyes.

"And you have better not do anything to hurt him, Sarah, or I'll be back and you will feel the full extent of my wrath." Sarah started shaking in her rage and raised a fist as if to strike the angel when suddenly the blonde disappeared in front of her! She gasped and looked around, but there was no trace of the woman, as if she had just vanished into thin air in that instant! She stared at Slack but he was looking at the place where the blonde had stood, a brooding expression on his face.

**Here it is, uploaded at last! Tell me what you think in a review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Yay, chapter 8 is finally up! I hope this will tide you over until I can manage to finish the next chapter. Forgive my writer's block for making me take this long to post! Please enjoy!**

Anya woke from her restless sleep feeling utterly exhausted. She hadn't had a decent night's rest since she had stormed from Slack's house in the middle of the night after having a shouting match with Sarah and rounding on Slack after his lack of realization for what Anya had been doing night after night to care for him. It was not his fault, she knew, and she reflected on her behavior with abhorrence. She was embarrassed and ashamed at herself for having snapped at him for memories he did not possess because of the terrible fever that had wracked his body for nearly a week's time. Anyone would have had little recollection of what had happened after such an experience.

Her patience at the time had been severely frayed, however, especially with Sarah's untimely entrance which had served to fuel Anya's rage even more. The woman bothered Anya to no end, making her wish she could storm into the house, grab Slack from her poisonous arms and fly him away somewhere she could never find him again. It was impossible of course, but the feeling never did leave the angel.

She sighed, hanging her head low in defeat. She had not been back to the house since the night she had left, her shame keeping her from even peeking out the window to see if any of the cars that were driving by had Slack as a passenger or not. She could barely bring herself to move out of the house, even at night when she sorely wished to stretch her wings and soar through the countryside until she tired.

It had only been three days, but they had dragged on and on until Anya had nearly been driven mad. Now, as she raised her head and stared around her dawn-lit room, she decided that today would be the end of her self-imprisonment. She would once again walk the streets of St. Mary Mead with Aunt Jane and enjoy the sights and sounds of everything and everyone around. She would not let her emotions hold her back any longer. If she did run into Slack or that horrid woman, she would steel herself and say what needed to be said. She just hoped she would only run into Slack, though. He would be much easier to handle, she mused.

She stood slowly, stretching every inch of her body until she felt fully awake, the exhaustion slowly receding. She dressed then, carefully selecting one of her newer dresses, a rich scarlet that accentuated her blonde locks and captivating blue eyes. If she were to see Slack today, she must look her best. She had a duty to him, a vow to keep only those things beneficial for him in his life. She would somehow get this woman out of his life and mind. Sarah was no good for him and the sooner she found a rich man to tag along with out of town, the better for Anya and Slack. If she let Slack fall in love with Sarah all over again, it would be that much more difficult for Anya to share her love with him.

It was selfish of her to think such things. And yet she felt that she would receive no punishment for such thoughts. Selfishness was not a bad thing, as long as it did not hurt others. This was a time for Anya to do something that would benefit both herself and her human. Sarah was poison for anyone she decided she may like, but Anya had care only for Slack. Any other partner the woman ran into would have to fend for himself.

A tentative knock at the door signaled the arrival of Aunt Jane, probably roused from her bed by movement so early in Anya's room. "Come in, Aunt Jane. I'm just dressing," Anya said, allowing the old woman to enter the room. She poked her head around the open door and smiled, surprised at the sudden turn in the angel's countenance.

"Well, I can't say I'm not relieved that you have come back to your old self, dear. Have you decided to show your face outdoors once more?" she teased lightly. Anya smiled disarmingly.

"Yes, Aunt Jane. I've wallowed in self-pity far too long now. It's time for me to do something about that woman. I need to speak with Slack about her. I have a feeling that she has not come back because of her love for Slack, a feeling I'm sure you share. I don't want to see him hurt again if I can help it. And that means somehow breaking them apart before he falls hopelessly in love with her again," she reasoned, smoothing her dress down with her hands. Aunt Jane harrumphed.

"That is very good of you to do, dear, but I don't know if it will be as easy as you believe. What if he never lost his love for her?" Anya turned hurt eyes on the old woman and Marple scrambled to right her callous remark.

"Of course he is in love with you, darling. There is no doubt about that. What I'm trying to say is, what if he never truly let all of his feelings for her go for fear that he would never find another woman he could love the same way? Think about it, dear. He could not have predicted that such a beautiful young woman would fly down from Heaven and say that she is his guardian angel and would be with him until the day he died. No one thinks about such a thing, so it is unfair to think that he could ever have been prepared for something such as this.

"He may very well have harbored his old feelings for Sarah somewhere deep inside of him in the hopes that she would see the error of her ways and come back to him. I'm sure in his mind he never imagined that he could ever love another the way he loved her. So in that respect, his old feelings may have come back to the forefront and he is just in love with her as he was the day she left. If that is so, then you certainly have your work cut out for you, dear."

The angel's eyes lowered to the ground and her shoulders sagged. Marple worried for an instant that she had served to send the poor girl back into her depressed state when suddenly Anya lifted her head, a brilliant smile lighting up her features. It took Marple aback so much so that she retreated a step, wondering what had gone on in the young angel's head.

"Don't worry, Aunt Jane. I've come this far for Slack and I am not about to give up on him just because his old flame is back in his life. She will not be here for long. I know that even without my help she will be gone from his life with the next rich man she sinks her claws into. But if I continue to stay a positive influence on him and stay the one person he can rely on, I hope that when the time comes, he can fall back on me and let me support him through this second disappointment from Sarah. I won't let him down." Marple smiled softly. Her dear angel certainly had grown in all the right ways in the short time she had been in St. Mary Mead.

"Well, perhaps it's time for me to call the station and see where he is, don't you think so?" Marple asked with a chuckle. Anya beamed and nodded her head fervently.

"Please, Aunt Jane. I will fly to him wherever he is. There's no reason to call for the car. I feel too good to sit still in a car anyhow," she laughed, twirling around in her spot, her dress spinning around her like a tornado. The old woman hurried from the room and called for Bessie to bring the number for the station. Out of everything the old seamstress could recall the station number had, ironically, never been one of them.

Moments later Anya was out of her room, laughing all the while as she fluttered down the stairs, ready to begin her day. A new vigor gripped her tightly and she felt she could not sit still until she had gone out and accomplished something that would bring her that much closer to being with Slack for good.

Marple was speaking amicably with a constable at the station when Anya glided into the front hall. "Thank you very much, sir. Yes, yes, she is on her way now. Do be a dear and tell him. Yes, and you also. Goodbye." Marple replaced the phone on its cradle and turned a smile on the animated angel. The girl was bouncing lightly on her toes with barely suppressed excitement, waiting impatiently for the results of Marple's call.

"He is in his office at the station, dear. Now do be quick, he is due to be picked up by the good Sergeant in the next half hour for a case. You must be there with him and work this case. Stay as close to him as possible, dear, and do not let that woman deter you from your goal. With any luck, she will find her next suitor soon and be gone within the week." Anya grinned rather impishly.

"That is what I'm hoping. The sooner she leaves, the better. It will be easier to pick up where Slack and I left off, especially if he has kept himself from falling head over heels in love with her again." She shook her head as if shaking a cloud from around her. "No, I will stay positive. Anyway, I'd best be going now. Wish me luck, Aunt Jane!" She bent and kissed the old woman on each cheek quickly before spreading her wings and shifting in front of the old woman's eyes. It was a comfort to Anya for her to see Marple's eyes keep contact with hers as the shift completed and follow flawlessly as she took off from the front hall toward the waiting sky outside.

She flew faster than she thought she ever could through the bright, clear blue sky. The sun warmed her considerably but the wind she created managed to keep her pleasantly cool as she raced over small shops and the paved streets toward the large, simple brick building that was the police station. She knew she would have no problem catching Slack before he left with Lake to begin his newest case. In any case, she would find out where they were going and follow them there.

Scarcely five minutes later she was striding confidently through the wide double doors of the station into the open reception hall yawning before her. Constables bustled in and out of the back rooms and she had to nearly jump out of the way of one policeman as he hurried out of the station. Well, nothing like a busy day in the station, she thought warmly. She had to admit that she had quite missed this work. She missed Slack as well.

His voice carried exceptionally well through even his thick door as he barked orders in his usual officious tone to some unfortunate soul in his office. The office door opened a split second later and a policewoman exited with exceptional speed, nearly slamming the heavy door behind her in her haste. A smile jumped to Anya's face and she made her way straight for the office and the man waiting inside. Her hand was raised and she was just about to knock when she heard another voice that made her blood run cold.

"Johnny, I told you specifically that you were not to see that woman again. If you want to keep me around, then you need to listen to me!" Sarah was incensed, and it seemed that Slack had let slip that Anya was coming to meet him at the station.

"Sarah, you are overreacting. We're co-workers, for God's sake! What am I supposed to do, avoid her on every case? What if I need her?" The stomping of an angry, heeled foot made Anya jump in her spot. She hadn't noticed that she had pressed an ear to the door to better hear the argument within. Why she didn't enter in that instant she didn't know, but something held her back. Did she want to hear what he would say about her? Did she want to hear him defend her for a change?

"The woman snuck into your house at night to take care of you when you were sick! She made you herbal tinctures and watched you sleep like a mother hen! Don't you think that is a bit deranged, Johnny?"

"Well it was a damn sight better than what you did for me!" he snapped back. Anya's head snapped back, her eyes widening. Had she heard him right? He was _complimenting_ her sneaking into the house to care for him? She thought he would have been furious for having to be waited on hand and foot for nearly a week while he was delirious from the dangerous fever. She had never expected him to use her sneaky ways to throw a stinging blow at Sarah! Now was the time for her interruption.

Steeling herself, she knocked abruptly three times and waited. A sharp "Yes!" sounded from within and she opened the door with an air of authority, catching both sets of eyes immediately. She saw the color drain from Slack's face and instead flush Sarah's. Anya shut the door behind her and shot a satisfied smile to the pair of them. Her eyes found Slack's and latched on, not allowing him to look away as she completely ignored the woman sputtering angrily beside him.

"Good morning, Slack. I hear we have a case?" She spoke with as much confidence as she exuded. She had promised herself the day it had happened that she would never allow Sarah to lay a hand on her again, nor drive any amount of fear into her heart. She was an angel for goodness sake, and it was about time she stepped up and showed the others in the village just how she stood beside her human.

Slack was at a loss for words. His mouth kept opening and closing like a fish gasping for air, sweat beading along his brow. Sarah's face was as red as a tomato, her mouth following Slack's movements. If the occasion weren't serious, Anya would have been gasping for air herself from laughing so hard at them both. It was Sarah who recovered first, launching into a shouting fest at the angel while the blonde kept her eyes on Slack.

The Inspector was very uncomfortable. If he could have slipped under the table to avoid the eyes of both women currently in his office, he would certainly have. Only if his reputation could have been kept untarnished, of course. He knew Anya was coming. He had gotten the report just ten minutes earlier that his psychologist was coming to see and join him on his next case. He was going to say no, tell her not to come, but something inside stopped him, and that second of hesitation let him think again about what telling her no would do to them. He realized that he wasn't OK with letting Anya slip from his life. For a reason he couldn't explain, he didn't want to end his friendship with the younger woman. If anything, he wanted things to go back to the way they had been, before Sarah had showed up. And that realization scared him.

Anya saw the slew of thoughts cross Slack's mind and decided to give him a break and take things into her own hands now. She turned her eyes from Slack to the red-faced woman just as Sarah finished her short rant. She put on an air of indifference, blank eyes pinning Sarah to her spot as the brunette suddenly started squirming in her place, wanting desperately to be out from under this penetrating gaze. Anya flashed a cold smile, freezing the other woman in place as she tried in vain to divert Anya's attention away from her.

"Is that all?" she asked icily, not having heard a word of the woman's rant. Some of the color drained from Sarah's face and she nodded slowly. Slack stared from one woman to the other, mouth hanging open for both to see. Anya was inwardly cheering for herself. If she could elicit such a reaction from Slack and Sarah, she must be doing something right. She nodded once, breaking the spell she had the brunette under as her eyes shifted back to Slack.

"Very well, Slack. I believe Lake will be here any minute, so you can brief me on the way." She smiled, pleased beyond belief with herself at the control she maintained during the whole meeting.

Sarah suddenly rallied back with all her rage, furious that this young woman, whom she had beaten down both physically and mentally before, had the gall to show up at such a place and completely ignore her. Not only was she not used to being treated this way, but the little tart was ordering her man around without her say. How could she just come in here and completely take over?

"Just one moment! I don't want you anywhere near my Johnny, you crazy witch! I don't know who you think you are, but you are not the one who tells him what to do and where to go! Why don't you find some other man to manipulate?" she snapped, coming around the table toward the angel. Anya stood her ground, feeling her anger curl like a snake in her belly. She would keep calm and show Slack the better woman through sheer willpower. She would not give in to Sarah's goading, no matter what happened.

Anya ignored her, feeling the piercing eyes of Sarah as she moved closer, her hands curling into fists at the anger the angel induced. If it came to a confrontation Anya did not wish to hurt Sarah, but she would not be on the receiving end of another slap from her again. She cleared her throat and kept her voice level, noticing the nervous movements of Slack as he fought to decide whether he should interfere or not. It would not do for any sort of fight to erupt in his office.

"I have done nothing wrong. I am his co-worker, and in order to do my job I must be briefed about the case, pure and simple. And the sooner the better." If only Lake would get here already! her mind screamed. Her temper could only be tested so much at one time!

Footsteps hurrying to the door and three quick knocks nearly made Anya breathe a sigh of relief as Slack barked for the stranger to enter. The door opened quickly and there was Sergeant Lake, widening eyes straying from Anya to Sarah and then Slack in the background as he watched the confrontation. Slack cleared his throat and stood in one swift movement.

"Yes, Lake, what is it?"

"We're ready for you, sir. Forensics is at the house already and they're waiting on us to arrive, sir," Lake sputtered as he struggled to repeat his orders whilst covering his confusion at the surprising scene he had just interrupted. Slack grabbed his hat from the rack standing by the desk and walked by the two women, his hand snaking around to grab Anya's elbow in a crushing grip.

"Time to go, Anya. I have a feeling we'll need your talents on this one. Excuse us, Sarah, but we have a murder to solve," he said, steering a bewildered Anya from his office after the sergeant hastily moving off to lead the small group outside to the waiting car, leaving a dumbfounded Sarah behind to watch their backs as the door shut heavily behind them.

The woman stayed still only a moment after the trio had left and then she set to work, tearing open drawers in Slack's desk to find any recent case files he was working on. She still seethed with the way that obstinate girl had so completely taken Slack from her, but she would deal with him later. She had to know now if he had found something, anything, about London.

She needed him to be on her side. If he left her for that little blonde tramp, Sarah was finished. She had to think of a way to keep him with her until things in London had quieted down. Having the Chief Inspector of St. Mary Mead as her own seemed like the perfect way to avoid suspicion. If only that woman weren't here also, things would have been simpler and her would have been wrapped around Sarah's little finger as easily as the first time they had been together.

She shuffled through papers and folders, finding nothing but old cases that had never been solved in the St. Mary Mead area. Nothing from London, not even a tiny slip of paper with a message on it from Scotland Yard. Good, she thought.

That was very good indeed.

Anya's commanding presence quickly left her the instant Slack touched her elbow. Now she was like a dummy he had complete control over, her legs moving mechanically to keep pace with him as he strode briskly out of the station like a man hurrying from something he did not wish to appear to be hurrying from. She snuck a quick glance up at his face as they stopped by the car, but he did not look at her as he opened up the back door for her. She gave up and got in the car, watching as he shut it and carefully avoided looking at her as he took his seat beside Lake as the sergeant made haste to start the car.

Lake shot from the parking spot into the street and drove quickly for the crime scene. Anya sat on the edge of her seat, her head poking into the area between the front seats as she looked first at Lake and then Slack. The Chief Inspector was staring determinedly ahead, never once looking down at her. She smiled to herself, fighting the urge to laugh as she decided to begin the conversation.

"Are you going to tell me-"

"What possessed you to-"

They both halted mid-sentence and finally Slack turned his head to look at her.

"You first." Anya let a small giggle escape her lips.

"It sounded like you were going to ask me what possessed me to come to the station, yes?" He pursed his lips and nodded sharply. She laughed. "Well, we can't avoid each other forever, now can we? After all, I am your-"

"Ssh! What's the matter with you?" he snapped, jerking his head at a shocked Lake. Anya smiled, waving off the Inspector's worries.

"I trust Lake. Besides, he believes in angels." Slack's eye brows shot up and Lake nearly swerved off the road as he turned to look at her.

"How did you know that?" the sergeant asked, his eyes darting back to the road after a sharp bark from Slack.

"You saw me that day at Fox Lodge, the first time I met you. I was invisible to all but those who believed in angels, and yet you saw me. This was before I cornered you in your interview room and demanded to be allowed to help you with the case," she chuckled, nodding to Slack. The Inspector sighed and rubbed his face while Lake struggled to soak in all that Anya was telling him.

"Anyhow, I am your angel, Slack, and so there is no possible way I can avoid you for the rest of your life. We're stuck together. Until you die, of course. But that won't be for some time." He snorted derisively.

"Of course, because you know everything."

"Of course not! That's only for Father to know." He sighed in defeat, realizing that he would never be able to win this argument. She sat back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. "Anyway, I figured I should stick around you now more than ever. And you know why." Slack shot a glare back at her, turning in his seat to talk to her properly.

"So it does have something to do with Sarah. I don't know why you keep insisting on tormenting her like this."

"Me, torment her?" She laughed harshly. "Lake, did you tell him what happened the day he collapsed?" she asked with a snarl. Lake looked at her in the rear view mirror and shook his head. "No?" She looked back at Slack.

"How about I show you then?" She leaned forward before he could react and grabbed his face with both hands, effectively halting any movement of his as he tensed.

"Close your eyes," she said. He did so hesitantly, poised to jerk back from her grip if she tried anything even remotely ridiculous.

She searched her mind for the memories of the day Slack had collapsed in the police station from his fever and linked her mind with his, running the events of that day through his mind like a video playing on the backs of his eye lids.

He saw everything that had happened from Anya's point of view. He watched himself fall to the ground next to a shrieking Sarah and how Anya called for Lake and was there at Slack's side as he hit the ground. His head rolled on her shoulder and, with the help of Lake, she got Slack to his feet so that he could be taken to the car outside. He saw, smelled, felt everything that happened as if he were Anya in that short time span. He saw the sudden appearance of Sarah, heard the insults and felt the stinging slap, and felt the pressure lift from her shoulders as Sarah took Slack's weight from her and walked with him and Lake out to the car.

When the slideshow of memories halted, Slack jerked back from Anya's hands and stared at her, seeing the brief reflection of hurt she had felt at the time that Sarah had taken Slack from her that day. He had no recollection of these events and wanted at first to believe that she had fabricated these memories to get sympathy from him, but the look in her eyes when he had first opened his seemed to drive all of those thoughts away. How could he ever think something so devious could be done by her? She had never tricked him, so why should he doubt her now? He thought back to the confrontation they had had while Inspector Craddock had been in the village and Slack was surprised to feel a bit ashamed of himself for how he had acted. Obviously Anya had not been as involved with the man as he had thought, or she very well would have followed him out of the village back to his hometown if she truly felt love for the man.

He turned in his seat to face the front again, avoiding once more those piercing blue eyes as Anya watched him curiously. It felt like hours had gone by before Slack said something once more. "I'm sorry she did that to you. I didn't know." The timid response brought a warm smile to the angel's face. She knew he was truly sorry, could hear it in his voice and see it in his mind. She leaned forward and put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze of thanks for his apology. He did not respond.

"Well now." She leaned back in her seat once more. "What about this briefing then? Or do you wish for me to read it from your mind?" Slack snorted and she caught the faint smile on his face reflected in the rear view mirror before it disappeared as fast as it came. He turned in his seat and raised an eye brow at her.

"You're never going to believe this one, Anya."

Slack's assumption wasn't entirely true. Anya could believe what she was seeing had happened, she just never would have wanted it to happen to anyone. The body they found at the small country house was that of Mr. Bird, the homeless man that wandered the streets of St. Mary Mead every day searching for small offerings of money for his continued existence. The poor man had been dressed up like a clown and posed after his death like a lion tamer with whip raised against a ferocious big cat, his body tied to a tree to keep it upright. His head had been brutally smashed in and blood had run down the side of his head and his face, leaving red streaks down his face that had then been painted over sloppily with the white makeup of a clown. The bright orange wig was stained with blood and had been shoved half over the hole in his head. It was the most hateful crime Anya had seen so far. Someone had wanted to humiliate this man so badly that they made sure he was ridiculous even in death.

Slack watched her closely as she examined the body while the forensics team pored over the scene. She sighed and looked back at him, catching him in the middle of watching her. "What do you think?" he asked softly, knowing that, while others in the team would be making jokes about this particular case, it would not be wise for anyone to do so around the sensitive angel. She looked back toward the poor clown.

"Someone wanted to humiliate him in one of the worst ways possible. But what I don't understand is why Mr. Bird? He was a harmless old man. He didn't have a drop of malice in him," she mused, shaking her head as the forensics team finally began moving the body from its resting place. Slack shook his head, wondering the same thing as the angel.

"I have no idea. I don't think I've ever heard of a complaint from anyone about him in the village either. Maybe he was pressing someone too hard for money and they had had enough?" Anya shook her head slowly.

"This was personal, Slack. This person had a very disturbing grudge against this man for whatever reason." A sudden thought came to her. "Has he always been in St. Mary Mead?" Slack shook his head.

"No. He's been here for about fifteen years, but before then no one knows where he's been. He never talked about any family that he might have had. He always said he was better off alone, whatever that meant."

"Perhaps he came here to get away from something he did in the past. If that's the case, we'd be looking for someone who may have held a grudge against him for over fifteen years. It certainly is a long time to hold any amount of anger in your heart." He glanced at her again.

"Wonderful. I only need to search the whole village and find someone nearly as old as him and ask if they've recently murdered a man, then dressed him up as a clown for us to find?" He sighed heavily. Anya smiled briefly.

"Actually, Slack, perhaps it's someone you've never seen before. Then again, there's no guarantee the person, or people, who did this are still around to get caught."

"You think this was the work of more than one person?" She shrugged.

"It's possible, but I don't see any indicators that point in one sure direction. Do we know what killed him?" Slack turned and summoned the pathologist over to answer their questions.

"Well," the man began after hearing Anya's question again. "He was hit with something heavy and blunt. It only took one hit to kill him. We're looking at a very strong man here."

"Is there no way a woman could have done this?" Slack asked. The pathologist shrugged.

"I don't know about you, but I've never seen a woman in this village who looks strong enough to pick up the type of weapon needed for this murder." Slack nodded thoughtfully.

"What about footprints in the area? Are there multiple sets or just two for the victim and the killer?" Anya asked. The man shrugged again.

"From what I've seen, there's to only be two sets. Ah, Sergeant Lake may know more." Upon hearing his name, Lake appeared before the three of them with his report for Slack.

"Sir, it looks like this was a one-man job. Only two sets of prints have been found, one of them the same coming as going. The second must belong to the victim as they are only seen coming onto the property."

"So he walked here? He wasn't dragged or carried?" Anya asked, puzzled. Lake shook his head.

"He definitely walked here. Forensics are checking his shoe patterns now and they seem to be confirming that one-way set was him. The other belongs to our killer, a male." Anya nodded, glancing up at Slack.

"Perhaps he was told to come here by someone," she mused. He nodded.

"Or maybe he comes here anyway and the killer knew that this was the only place to get him alone." He looked back to the Sergeant. "Lake, get some constables to ask around and see if this is the place Bird came to sleep. If not, then he may have been summoned here by the killer." Lake nodded and hurried off to relay the orders.

Anya watched as poor Mr. Bird's body was untied from the tree and laid onto a stretcher for a proper autopsy. She sighed softly. Who could want to do this to the old man? Perhaps she was right and this was a killing by someone from his past? If so, why wait fifteen years or more to do such a thing? Maybe the killer had lost track of him for those fifteen years? When Mr. Bird had left wherever he had been, the killer had lost touch and not known where to find him? It was possible, and very well could account for the time span. In fact, it made much more sense than someone sitting around stewing in their own venomous need for revenge for fifteen years until finally snapping and murdering in such a horrid way. She didn't quite know what to think. This case seemed so strange, and not just because of the way Mr. Bird was killed and then displayed.

Slack seemed to sense the irritating circles her mind was going in with the questions. He touched her elbow gently, making her jump a little. She turned to him with an apologetic smile. "I was trying to solve the whole thing myself for a minute," she chuckled, her laughter strained.

"I know. I could nearly see the wheels turning in your head. But something tells me this is going to be a tough case." She agreed with a nod, looking back at the body now thankfully draped with a white sheet to be carried off.

"There are too many things that don't make sense. And not just the time frame. The mind that came up with this murder was very disturbed and very angry. Somehow, I don't even think that killing Mr. Bird this way even touched the surface of this killer's anger. He tried so hard to ridicule Mr. Bird even in death, but for some reason I just don't think even that was enough. And that's another thing. Why a clown _and_ a lion tamer? Why not one or the other?" Her questions made Slack think even harder though he had nothing new to give her.

"We might not know that until we catch the killer."

She was still pondering the question when Slack opened the car door for her and she stepped out in front of the station again. Lake left at once to check on more facts Slack had ordered him to find, leaving Anya and Slack alone to walk back toward his office to discuss the facts already known to them. Slack thought that if they both went over everything, between the two of them something new may be realized. However, that was not to be the case.

As soon as they entered Slack was flagged down by the desk clerk and told that he had a message from someone at Scotland Yard. Puzzled, Slack went into his office to call the officer back, Anya hot on his heels. Sarah was still in the office, reclining comfortably on the long couch that Slack had still not had removed from his office after the confrontation between Anya and the drunken uncle of poor little Ruby. She came to her feet quickly when she saw Anya accompanying Slack and glared at the angel. Anya had no eyes for her and continued to watch Slack as he picked up the phone and began dialing.

"Who are you calling?" Sarah asked, coming around the desk to stand beside him possessively. He looked annoyed by her presence, something Anya inwardly enjoyed witnessing.

"Inspector Jared from Scotland Yard wants to speak with me about a case in London. Something's puzzling him about it."

"Why should he ask you? He should know how to do his job surely?" The nervous uptick in her voice passed unnoticed by Slack as he finally got the Inspector on the phone and began speaking, but Anya's eyes shifted immediately to the woman. Sarah looked very nervous indeed. Both hands were playing with a large golden chain around her neck and her eyes were wider than normal. A slight sheen of sweat was slowly making its way down her face. What on Earth could have frightened the woman so? Anya's attention was pulled back to Slack as he took on a puzzled look himself.

"Are you sure it was a woman, Jared?" he asked. Sarah flinched visibly in Anya's peripheral vision and her senses heightened. Had Sarah done something in London? Is that why she had suddenly appeared in St. Mary Mead? It certainly seemed like a possibility, she reasoned. She had never seen the woman look so uncomfortable before, even now as she attempted to hide it before the phone conversation ended.

"Yes, I'll come out directly tomorrow. I'm afraid I won't be able to stay too long as I have a rather difficult case here as well. Yes, perhaps I can. It may be useful to get your thoughts on the matter. Yes, all right then. Goodbye." He hung up the phone and looked up at two perfectly normal women, Sarah having straightened her appearance only moments before. His eyes went first to Anya.

"I'll be gone tomorrow to London. It seems this case has got Inspector Jared ruffled and he would like a senior officer's opinion. Will you and Lake keep things going here?" Anya smiled, proud to be held in such high esteem by him.

"Of course we will. Perhaps we'll even solve the case while you're gone," she said slyly. He snorted in contempt.

"If you do, I will retire from my post," he said with the ghost of a smile.

"Why would Inspector Jared call you for your opinion anyway, Johnny?" Sarah asked suddenly, pulling his attention back to her. He shrugged vaguely.

"He's from St. Mary Mead originally but he always wanted to work in London and so when he got high enough he applied for a transfer. We both were in the same training course for the police so we know each other well." He sat in his chair then, relaxing.

"Now, if you don't mind, Anya and I have a case to discuss. I'm sure there are other things you have to do," he said suddenly. Sarah just blinked. He had never spoken so coldly to her before! This must be that blonde tramp's doing! she thought viciously. She put on a calming smile and started around the desk toward him.

"Maybe I could help you, Johnny. You know, give you some insight on this case that you would never-"

"No, Sarah. I cannot share information with you on an open case. Anya is my psychologist and I need her insight on what person is capable of this crime. I cannot discuss any part of this case with you. I'll be back home later if nothing comes up." He dismissed her rather abruptly, sending her mind reeling back. With an effort she tried to gather her senses again for a rebuttal but Slack had already turned his attention to that blonde woman as she settled down on the couch, looking like the Queen of England. Sensing she could do no more, she stomped from the room, glaring back at the pair once more before she closed the heavy oak door behind her with as much of a bang as she could.

Anya winced at the sound and glanced at Slack. He seemed rather pleased with himself for some reason but it did not stay for long. Perhaps he was becoming tired of her after all? Anya reasoned. Perhaps he was, but he remained protective of her if Anya ever said anything against her character. Just because he could become annoyed by her apparently did not mean that he thought her capable of anything truly dangerous or deceitful. But then, what was that expression on her face when he was on the phone speaking about a case in London? Had she truly crossed the line and become a criminal? Suppose she had come back to St. Mary Mead and Slack for protection from the law? What better way to be protected than become the lover of a Chief Inspector, after all?

She did not have long to dwell on these thoughts as it was then that Slack abruptly began the long discussion about the facts that they had for the Mr. Bird murder. She would have to decide on what she would do about this new development later. Now was the time for her to focus on poor Mr. Bird.

It was four hours of discussion before Slack finally called a halt. It was pushing dinner time and nothing new had come up in the case except for a few facts Lake had managed to scrounge up from the constables' grunt work. The place Mr. Bird had been found was not a known place for him to go to, and so it seemed that the killer had more than likely been someone he knew, someone that he had planned to meet in that private setting for...what? What reason could he have had to meet someone in such a remote place? She and Slack had discussed this matter for the last hour but had come up with nothing either of them could agree on. And so now the both of them were leaving for home and he asked her most fervently to relate the facts of the case to Miss Marple and see if she had any thoughts.

Yes, Anya had agreed. Not only would she give the old woman the facts from this case, but she would also relate to her the interesting reaction Sarah had shown when Slack had been on the phone. Perhaps then she would decide what she would do about such a reaction. Should she go to London with Slack and study the case with him? No, he wished for her to stay with Lake and continue on with their own case. She would do that, she decided then, but perhaps she could visit the scene of the crime herself without Slack's knowledge.

She had to know if Sarah had any involvement with the crime in London. She just hoped it wasn't too terrible. Whatever it was, if it turned out that Sarah was a criminal, it would hurt Slack. Anya knew this, and dreaded the amount of pain it would cause him. But no matter what, she would reveal Sarah for what she was, whether or not she was also a criminal to boot. And when Slack did get hurt, Anya would be there with support and love. They parted ways in front of Miss Marple's house, Slack having graciously given her a ride. She thanked him with a smile and hurried into the house to tell Marple all that had befallen her that day and her suspicions about Sarah.

She began with the facts of the case, allowing Aunt Jane to soak in all the information. She didn't speak for a while, just sat in her chair with a steaming cup of tea in her lap as she pondered the possibilities. Finally she looked up. "Mr. Bird had mentioned something about a brother to me before, dear. This was years ago, mind you, but nevertheless I do remember that fact." Anya nodded slowly.

"We hadn't really thought of family since he had always told people that he had none." Aunt Jane smiled.

"I'm sure he does still have family, dear. You should tell Slack tomorrow to look into the possibility of a brother. I'm not saying he is the killer, but perhaps he would know of anyone who would have held a grudge against poor Mr. Bird before he came to St. Mary Mead." Anya nodded.

"That will by my job tomorrow, I suppose."

"Oh?" Aunt Jane took a sip of her tea and abandoned it beside her. "Do go on, dear. You look as if you wish to tell me more. Much more." There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes and Anya laughed.

"Of course you would know, Aunt Jane. Yes, there is much more to tell you. And it involves Sarah." The old woman's eye brows rose.

"Is that so? Do share, my dear." She did so gladly.

After she had explained the reason for Slack's absence the following day and Sarah's reaction to the phone call, Aunt Jane sat once more in silence, more stunned than anything.

"You believe that she could have committed some crime in London and come here to get back in Slack's good graces so that he would protect her?" Anya nodded slowly.

"Something like that. Do you think it possible?" she asked meekly, wondering if perhaps she had jumped to conclusions too rapidly. She did not like the thought that she could accuse Sarah so quickly of being a criminal simply because of her inherent dislike of her. But Aunt Jane shook her head sharply.

"Oh no, dear. I think you are perfectly right. I don't think I could put anything past that woman with the history she's had. If she could do the things she did to poor Inspector Slack, then we must assume she could do a whole lot more." Anya nodded slowly, not feeling at all proud of herself for her assumptions. She dreaded the possibility that she was right in all this. It would get Sarah out of Slack's life for sure, but the pain that would accompany such a thing was something she was not looking forward to. What if this became the last straw for Slack and he decided he would not pursue his feelings for Anya? What then?

Marple could see the doubts on the angel's face and hurried to clear them. "Anya, dear, you know what to do. I know you are worrying about the Inspector's reaction, but I beg of you not to worry about it until it comes. For now, focus on what you must do. Will you go to London and see what you can of the crime scene?" She nodded.

"Yes. Since I can't go with Slack, I'll go without his knowledge and see what I can find out in my own. But if I do find a connection between the crime and Sarah and Slack doesn't, what then? Do I show it to him?" Marple shook her head.

"No, no, my dear. You tell the police in London and let them come speak to Sarah. Perhaps it will be that alone that will keep Slack from having any relations with her again. And then, if she is found guilty of this crime, whatever it is, it will be your job to fill the hole she will have left in the Inspector once more." She came out of her seat at the shadow of doubt that darkened the girl's face and kneeled slowly in front of her. She took the girl's hands in her paper-thin ones and stared into the surprised angel's face.

"You've done it once before, my dear. You must do it again. You must. You are the only woman who should ever be with Inspector Slack. Did you know that I knew that? Yes, you are the one for him, Anya. Never ever forget that, and continue to fight for that place beside him, no matter what it takes." A smile flickered onto her face at the old woman's words. Yes, she must not forget the way that Slack made her feel, and the love she knew that he possessed for her. Even now, with Sarah in the way and the rift that Inspector Craddock had accidentally opened between them just months before, she felt as close to Slack as if none of these things were issues standing in the way of their happiness.

The smile widened on her face and she squeezed Aunt Jane's hands. "Yes, Aunt Jane, you're right. I will do whatever it takes. I will go to London tomorrow night as soon as Slack gets back, and I will find out what I can about this crime. And, if Sarah is a criminal and has done something horrible, she will answer for it, no matter what it does to Slack. She will be punished and he will be healed of the betrayal.

"I will protect him with every fiber of my being."


End file.
